If you will be in Ocean City on Thursday, you have the chance to witness something exciting, heart-warming, and unique — especially if it happens to be around 10 a.m. at 40th Street.
National Aquarium Animal Rescue is inviting the public to watch and celebrate as two rescued Kemp’s ridley sea turtles will be released back into the ocean after having successfully being rehabilitated at the National Aquarium’s Baltimore facility. Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan will be there to help point the turtles back to the waves.
“The public is not always invited to animal rescue releases, but the National Aquarium is always happy to invite public to witness the exciting return to the sea as long as it’s in the best interest of the animal,” a National Aquarium spokesperson told Baltimore Fishbowl. “Factors that we take into consideration, include the treatment history and temperament of the animal, as well as the time of year, weather conditions, and capacity of our teams.”
The two ridley sea turtles are known to staff fondly as Icky and Mothman. Icky, short for Ichthyocentaur, was rescued in November 2024 by Audobon Wellfleet of Wellfleet, Massachusetts, and triaged at New England Aquarium before he was transferred to the National Aquarium for rehabilitation, along with 35 other sea turtles, all of whom were cold-stunned in Massachusetts. Mothman was rescued locally from Bear Creek off the Patapsco River in Dundalk, Maryland on Dec. 12, 2024.
Mothman and Icky were both treated for cold-stunning, which is a pneumonia-like condition that strikes turtles when they are caught in cold water as temperatures drop. They also had injuries consistent with boat strikes. Both have completed their rehabilitation and are cleared for release. The Aquarium will tag the turtles to keep track of their progress and condition.
“Not all animals released by the Aquarium receive satellite tracking devices that allow our teams to follow their progress in real time,” the spokesperson said. “When we are able to use satellite tags, that decision is made in cooperation with our partners at NOAA and USFWS. However, all rehabilitated sea turtles receive a microchip much like a household pet, as well as an identification tag with an ID number that is affixed sort of like an earring to one of their flippers. This tag can tie them back to us in the event that other rescue or research groups encounter them.”
