Endangered sea turtles to be released into the Gulf

There are only seven species of sea turtles in the world and the most endangered can be found right here in the Mississippi Sound. Researchers will be following two of these endangered sea turtles as they journey across the Gulf.
Meet Riley, a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, the most critically endangered of its kind in the entire world. He’s been in good hands as he’s slowly made his way through rehab. His progress has been so good that his caretakers at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies soon plan to return Riley and his pal, Kiley, back home in the Mississippi Sound. IMMS Veterinarian Debra Moore said, “We go through the rehabilitation process where we feed them. We make sure they’re eating well so we can get them back into the Gulf as soon as possible.”
There’s a steady flow of turtles here, injured by fishing hooks or suffering some other condition. The work of these experts is crucial, especially considering their status as an endangered species. “We take blood. We do x-rays. We do ultrasounds when necessary just like a person would get when they go to the hospital,” said Moore.
Veterinarian Carol Tobias said, “Once we feel like they’re eating well and they’re active and they’re blood work looks normal then we’ll decide if they’re deemed releasable.”
The Kemp’s ridley turtles mostly nest on beaches in Mexico, but are known to travel all over the Gulf. With satellite flags, researchers will be following Kiley and Riley’s journey to further their knowledge of this rare species. IMMS Conservation Ecologist Eric Pullis said, “Just how much variability is there between both individual turtles and from year to year with other turtles that we’ve tagged previously.”
The Kemp’s ridley turtle is the smallest species of sea turtle in the world and experts say when this one-year-old turtle reaches adult hood it could weigh anywhere between 70 to 100 pounds. “The Mississippi Sound is an important developmental habitat for these turtles, even though they don’t nest here. We get a lot of small juveniles who spend their summer here. It’s a pretty unique habitat and it’s an area that not a lot is known at this stage of the life cycle so we can figure out a lot about the species in general right here in Mississippi,” said Pullis.
You will be able to follow their journey online soon. Once the sea turtles are released, the marine institute will have a link on their website where you can follow Riley and Kiley as they make their way across the Gulf.