BALTIMORE, MD.- A rescued sea turtle out of Fenwick Island has a new home in Baltimore.
The National Aquarium says Pecorino, a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, was rescued in September 2020 with injuries that were consistent with a boat strike to the head.
He was successfully rehabilitated but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services deemed him not releasable due to cognitive challenges. They say he was lethargic and slow to respond to stimuli.
Since then the turtle has lived at the Aquarium’s Animal Care and Rescue center where he has received rehabilitative care and training to be able to overcome many of those issues.
“Pecorino’s progress has been remarkable and is a credit to the efforts of our Animal Care and Welfare teams,” said Senior Vice President and Chief Animal Welfare Officer Stephanie Allard. “It is so gratifying to see Pecorino succeed on exhibit where he can enjoy more naturalistic stimuli in a complex physical environment while serving as a public ambassador for our turtle rescue efforts.”
On April 16th, Pecorino plunged into his new home at the aquarium’s “Atlantic Coral Reef” habitat. The exhibit is a replicated Caribbean reef and is home to more than 1,000 animals with more than 70 species.
Pecorino is about 25 pounds and an estimated 5 to 7 years of age.
Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are the smallest and most critically endangered of the seven species of sea turtle, typically growing to a size of about 100 pounds and up to about 2 feet in length.