Hurricane Leslie has displaced hundreds of baby turtles in Florida this month, and Brevard Zoo has rescued over 300 of them and returned them to the wild.
The zoo has been caring for green and loggerhead sea turtles that were pushed ashore when Hurricane Leslie disrupted their habitat, and released an adorable video of them happily swimming.
Posting the video to Facebook, Brevard Zoo said: “Hurricane Leslie has sent us nearly 300 wash-backs since Sunday! We’re dedicated to getting these little guys back into the ocean as soon as conditions improve.”
Hurricane Leslie has sent us nearly 300 washbacks since Sunday! We’re dedicated to getting these little guys back into the ocean as soon as conditions improve: bit.ly/2INCSkj
Posted by Brevard Zoo on Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Brevard Zoo said: “Wash-backs are baby sea turtles that have washed up on beaches. Though sea turtles hatch with a yolk that gives them the burst of energy needed to make the multi-mile swim to the weed lines (offshore patches of seaweed that provide shelter and food), once they’ve washed up on shore, they can’t get back out on their own.
“Our staff and volunteers are caring for these wash-backs for a few days until open ocean conditions improve. At that time, the baby sea turtles will be transported offshore in a boat and placed back in the weed lines, which provide them with shelter and food.”
