Turtle Fest: Good luck, Trey

Palm Coast Observer
Neighbors

While music and South African tortoise races captured the attention of guests at the sixth-annual Turtle Fest at Veterans Park, in Flagler Beach, the main event was at the ocean’s edge.

Swarms of people toed two parallel lines drawn in the sand as Julie Moore and Ashleigh Rice, aquarists with SeaWorld, made their way down the lane with a large blue bucket carrying the star of the festival.

Trey, named by the festival for his three flippers, is a teenage loggerhead turtle who has been being rehabilitated at SeaWorld for the last four months.

Trey came to SeaWorld from the New England Aquarium Dec. 23. He was found cold stunned in Cape Cod, Mass., on Dec. 14.

“With-cold stressed animals, their natural body temperature is regulated by their environment — when the temperature drops too quickly, they get stunned, their metabolism slows down and they stop body processes,” said Moore, senior aquarist at SeaWorld Orlando. “Our goal is to take them and warm up their body temperature gradually, make sure they are eating right and their bloodwork is within normal levels. We check if they’re eating on their own and healthy enough to be released.”

Trey was selected to be released at the festival because he was in the same class size that is normally found in this area. He is the sixth of 10 rescued turtles at SeaWorld to be returned to the ocean.

But Trey is not only a star of the Flagler Beach festival. He might also be featured on SeaWorld’s TV series, “Sea Rescue,” with the Flagler Beach release included in the spot.

“It was awesome to have SeaWorld here today,” said Lori Ottlein, of the Flagler Turtle Patrol. “It draws more of a crowd, and they get it. When they get to see a sea turtle released, they realize what it’s all about.”

Ottlein said that besides saving the nests and the hatchlings, sea turtles are an endangered species, and they need to be taken care of. The annual festival not only raises money for the Turtle Patrol, but it also acts as an awareness effort.

Sea turtle nesting season begins May 1, and runs through October. Flagler County beaches are home to loggerhead, green, leatherback and Kemp's ridley sea turtle nests. To adopt a nest, go to www.turtlepatrol.com.