Four young sea turtles have been released to their natural habitat after receiving life saving care from Disney Conservation Team Wildlife.
What’s Happening:
- After months of receiving specialized care at The Seas with Nemo & Friends at EPCOT, Disney Conservation Team Wildlife released four rehabilitated green sea turtles near Disney’s Vero Beach Resort earlier this week.
- The turtles were rescued near the resort this past spring after washing ashore malnourished, dehydrated and lethargic.
- Disney teamed up with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to ensure that the turtles received essential care and could eventually be returned to their natural habitat.
- The sea turtles were first taken to the Brevard Zoo and later transported to The Seas with Nemo & Friends at EPCOT for further medical care.
- A team of Disney animal care professionals worked to nurse the sea turtles back to health, giving them much needed fluids, antibiotics and nourishment.
What They’re Saying:
- Dr. Mark Penning, Vice President of Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment: “All seven species of sea turtles around the world are considered to be threatened or endangered. We recognize that every sea turtle counts toward reversing the decline. The successful rehabilitation and release of these green sea turtles demonstrates the incredible dedication of our Cast Members and Disney’s overall commitment to wildlife conservation.”
Did You Know?:
- The home base for Disney’s sea turtle conservation efforts in Florida is at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort.
- Located on the southern boundary of the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, it’s considered the most important nesting region for loggerhead sea turtles in the world.
- During sea turtle nesting season, Disney Conservation Team Wildlife conducts daily surveys of the five miles of beach surrounding the resort to identify, mark and monitor sea turtle nests, as well as determine the number of sea turtle hatchlings.
- Since the start of the sea turtle conservation program in 2003, Disney has recorded more than 1 million sea turtle hatchlings in the area.
- More broadly, The Disney Conservation Fund has directed more than $4 million to sea turtle conservation efforts around the world.
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