Animal Rehab Nonprofit In West Orange Will Release 3 Sea Turtles

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The following news release comes courtesy of Sea Turtle Recovery. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.

Have you ever wanted to see a sea turtle release or, better yet, have you wanted to walk next to a sea turtle returning to the ocean? Sea Turtle Recovery’s veterinarian, Dr. Hubert Paluch, just deemed three sea turtle patients healthy and ready for release. A 35-pound Loggerhead Sea Turtle and two juvenile Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles are ready to return to the ocean after months of medical treatment and rehabilitation at Sea Turtle Recovery’s hospital in West Orange, NJ. The release will be held in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., next to Jenkinson’s Aquarium on Tuesday, August 13th. The approximate time for the release is pending and will be announced on Sea Turtle Recovery’s social media sites closer to the event.

What makes this release truly special is that Sea Turtle Recovery is having a door prize on Sunday, August 11th at their Allie Colleen Country Benefit Concert. One lucky guest will get a once in a lifetime chance to walk down the beach with STR’s staff to release a sea turtle!

Sea Turtle Recovery is the only long-term care hospital in New Jersey for sea turtles. Their nonprofit hospital is a separate facility located inside Essex County Turtle Back Zoo, and they have already saved and released 119 sea turtles in just seven years. All species of sea turtles are threatened or endangered, and many species inhabit our coastline during the warmer months from June to October. In November, any sick or injured sea turtle that does not have the strength to migrate south ends up stranded along the beaches. This is when Sea Turtle Recovery jumps into action to save these animals that are crucial to a healthy ocean ecosystem.

“Allie Colleen, a rising Country Music artist, has been a huge supporter of Sea Turtle Recovery since our beginning. Recently, she has performed a duet with Lee Brice and is currently on tour with Jelly Roll. Now, Allie Colleen and Julia Roome, from The Voice, are planning to help us with a concert fundraiser. We just felt like we should make this occasion completely memorable for one lucky person. Meeting hit musical performers and then getting to help walk a sea turtle to the water…simply a dream,” explained Sea Turtle Recovery’s Co-Executive Officer, Brandi Biehl.

Tickets for the benefit concert can be found at seaturtlerecovery.org. The event will take place at the Mount Olive PAC in Flanders, N.J. More about the sea turtle release will be announced on Sea Turtle Recovery’s Facebook and Instagram accounts as the date approaches. Guests visiting the Essex County Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange can see Sea Turtle Recovery’s patients recovering anytime inside their public education space.

“Sea Turtle Recovery is an extraordinary conservation effort that continues to save sea turtles and impact their species. Essex County Turtle Back Zoo is thrilled to partner with them in providing a place for their life saving work,” stated Essex County Executive, Joseph DiVincenzo, Jr.

To support the concert fundraiser , get your tickets at www.SeaTurtleRecovery.org/news-events/. Follow STR on Instagram and Facebook for updates on the patients and potential release dates.

More about the Sea Turtle Recovery, their efforts, and how to donate to the sea turtles’ care can be found by visiting www.seaturtlerecovery.org. More information about the Turtle Back Zoo including hours and directions is available at www.turtlebackzoo.com.

• See Related: 100 Rescued Sea Turtles In New Jersey; Nonprofit Hits Big Milestone

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