19 New England sea turtles are back in the Atlantic Ocean off Florida after rehabbing in Missouri

Nineteen sea turtles that were rehabilitated in Missouri after suffering the effects of cold water temperatures in New England were released Wednesday afternoon into the Atlantic Ocean off of Jacksonville, Florida.

It was sunny and 72 degrees as the turtles made their way into the ocean off Little Talbot Island State Park near Jacksonville, rehab facility officials said. Their long journey was made possible by the Johnny Morris Sea Turtle Center in Springfield, Missouri, and the nonprofit group Turtles Fly Too. The turtles were then driven to Florida before their release.

Twenty loggerhead and Kemp's ridley turtles were flown in December from the New England Aquarium in Boston to the Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium in Springfield, according to director of animal care Mike Daniel.

One of the turtles was critically ill and died after arriving in Missouri. But the other 19 spent 13 weeks being treated for cold stunning, which occurs when water temperatures drop quickly and cause sea turtles to suffer from various conditions such as pneumonia, hypothermia, and dehydration. Veterinarians at the center provided round-the-clock care.

Hundreds of sea turtles along the Atlantic Coast of the United States have suffered from cold stunning over the past few months, and most are typically flown to Florida for rehab.

The Missouri turtle center opened in 2020 and has rehabbed some 64 sea turtles.

The turtles were equipped with specialized satellite tracking devices that allow conservation scientists to monitor them.

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This story has been updated to correct the number of sea turtles rehabbed at the Johnny Morris Sea Turtle Center. It rehabbed some 64 sea turtles, not 55.