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Monterey Bay Aquarium to put Young Loggerhead Sea Turtle on Exhibit
MEDIA ADVISORY
December 20, 2012
Monterey Bay Aquarium to put Young Loggerhead Sea Turtle on Exhibit
Follow turtle’s journey from North Carolina to Monterey on Twitter
Contact:
Karen Jeffries, (831) 644-7548 or (831) 238-0514; kjeffries@mbayaq.org
Mika Yoshida, (831) 644-7522 or (206) 963-9193; myoshida@mbayaq.org
What:
Monterey Bay Aquarium staff is transporting a young loggerhead sea turtle hatchling today (Thursday, Dec. 20) from North Carolina to Monterey. It could be on exhibit Friday morning at the earliest – depending on the outcome of its veterinary exam that morning – in the aquarium’s Opens Sea galleries. (Editors: Call PR to confirm status.)
When:
Thursday: Follow the turtle’s transport on Twitter using hashtag #TravelingTurtle.
Friday: Possible opportunity to see/photograph/film the sea turtle at the aquarium.
Where:
Monterey Bay Aquarium, 886 Cannery Row, Monterey
Description:
Today Aquarium Curator Steve Vogel is transporting a young loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) from the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. The months-old hatchling, which is just 4¼ inches long and weighs less than a half a pound, could go on exhibit Friday morning in the Open Sea galleries, depending on the outcome of its veterinary exam that morning.
Media and the public can follow the turtle’s travels on Twitter using the hashtag #TravelingTurtle.
The turtle is one of nine on loan to various U.S. zoos and aquariums from the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. All of them were rescued from nests on North Carolina beaches – late hatchlings that didn’t make it to the water with their nest-mates – and will eventually be returned to the wild. The turtle will stay at the Monterey Bay Aquarium for as long as two years before its release back in North Carolina.
The new turtle will be the focal point of an exhibit that highlights the threats facing sea turtles and other ocean animals from unsustainable fishing practices. In the wild, sea turtles often die when they’re accidentally caught in fishing gear, primarily in trawls and longlines. Sea turtles around the world also face deadly threats from ocean pollution – particularly plastic debris.
Editors: Please contact Public Relations for digital images of the sea turtle on Friday; time TBD.
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