On Thursday 21st April, rescued sea turtles Tucker and Comber were transported from the Seattle Aquarium to SeaWorld San Diego’s Animal Rescue Center, where they will receive continuing rehabilitative care. The two turtles were flown on a U.S. Coast Guard C-130 Hercules aircraft to Naval Base Coronado.
Comber, a male Pacific green sea turtle, was rescued by Parks Canada staff between Victoria and Tofino, British Columbia on Vancouver Island and was transferred by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to the Vancouver Aquarium back in January. Tucker, a male olive ridley turtle, was found near Cannon Beach in Oregon in December and was rescued by the Seaside Aquarium staff and transferred by USFWS to the Seattle Aquarium. Pacific green sea turtles and olive ridleys are both endangered. SeaWorld’s goal is to continue their rehabilitation and return them to their ocean home, giving them a second chance at life. If all goes well, the turtles could be returned to the ocean this summer.
Olive ridley turtles are the smallest sea turtle in the Pacific, at 22 to 31 inches when fully grown and a maximum weight of about 100 pounds. Pacific green sea turtles are the largest hard-shell sea turtle, growing to about three feet in length and weighing up to 350 pounds.
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