New England Aquarium releases five more endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles off Cape Cod

BOSTON, MASS. (July 22, 2026) – Five rehabilitated Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are back in the ocean waters off Cape Cod after the New England Aquarium’s fourth sea turtle release of the summer Wednesday morning.

**PHOTOS AND VIDEO AVAILABLE HERE, WITH CREDIT TO NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM**

For the past seven months, staff at New England Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital in Quincy, Mass., treated the hypothermic turtles for a variety of life-threatening medical conditions, including pneumonia, dehydration, and trauma. Staff veterinarians cleared the sea turtles, including “Papyrus” and “Times New Roman,” to return to Nantucket Sound.

“Our team tracks each turtle’s progress closely and adjusts care as needed throughout recovery,” said Dr. Melissa Joblon, Director of Animal Health at the New England Aquarium. “These five turtles are now strong enough to survive entirely on their own in the wild. That’s the goal every time.”

Scientists from the Aquarium’s research arm, the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, worked with the Rescue team to tag the turtles for post-release monitoring. The tags collect information about the turtles’ behavior, habitat use, and survivorship, which helps inform sea turtle conservation and protection efforts, especially in New England where little is known about these species. This season, the team is using a combination of satellite tags for real-time data and acoustic tags for longer-term tracking; some of the turtles will be added to the Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Tracker for the public to follow their journey. This sea turtle work is permitted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through Permit Number ES69328.

During the 2025 cold-stunning season, the Aquarium treated nearly 500 live sea turtles, most of them Kemp’s ridleys, that were rescued from the shores of Cape Cod from November to December by staff and volunteers with Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. Getting these turtles back to full health requires a collaborative effort between biologists, veterinarians, and researchers. Under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are endangered, facing threats including climate change, ocean pollution, and degradation of their habitats. Rescue and rehabilitation efforts help to conserve the species.

The Aquarium has now released 35 turtles off Cape Cod this summer. A handful of turtles remain at the Aquarium’s Quincy facility, continuing treatment until they are medically cleared to return to the ocean.

Aquarium staff, volunteers, and interns have a tradition of naming the turtles receiving long-term care, with this year’s theme being font-inspired names. More details on the released Kemp’s ridley sea turtles:

• “Times New Roman” (#512)
  • Stranded Dec. 3, 2025, in Dennis, MA
• “Papyrus” (#579)
  • Stranded Dec. 5, 2025, in Wellfleet, MA
• “Gigi” (#590)
  • Stranded Dec. 5, 2025, in Brewster, MA
• “Walter Turncoat” (#644)
  • Stranded Dec. 10, 2025, in Truro, MA
• “Punk Kid” (#659)
  • Stranded Dec. 11, 2025, in Truro, MA

MEDIA CONTACT: Pam Bechtold Snyder—psnyder@neaq.org