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# Six Rehabilitated Green Sea Turtles Return to Ocean at Ponce Inlet
- URL: https://www.theamericanquorum.com/state-news-florida-ponce-inlet-turtle-release-20261019/
- Published: 2026-10-19T16:08:02.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-19T16:08:02.000Z
- Description: Volusia County reports releasing six juvenile green sea turtles after rehabilitation. The release highlights the Marine Science Center’s work and the steps residents can take when they encounter distressed wildlife.
- Author: News Desk
- Tags: US, Florida

Six juvenile green sea turtles returned to the Atlantic Ocean at Ponce Inlet on October 14 after rehabilitation at Volusia County’s Marine Science Center, according to a county [release report](https://www.volusia.org/news/news-releases.stml?calendar%5Fentry%5Fid=92999&portalProcess%5Fdd%5F0%5F1%5F1=showPublicEvent&ref=theamericanquorum.com). The public event took place at the Beach Street Ramp, where staff released animals the county said had been cleared to return to the wild.

The turtles were named Frogish, Mangrove Snapper, Highland Cow, Nurse Shark, Armadillo and Silkie Chicken. A rehabilitated juvenile brown pelican was also returned to the wild before the turtle release. The county did not provide individual medical histories or post-release tracking results in its announcement.

The release offers a local view of a larger wildlife-care workload. As of the October 14 report, the center had received 243 sea turtles, 250 hatchlings and washbacks, and 215 other reptiles since January 1\. Those are intake categories reported by the county; they are not a count of animals released or a measure of survival after treatment.

The center’s [hospital information](https://www.marinesciencecenter.com/conservation/sea-turtle-hospital.stml?ref=theamericanquorum.com) describes diagnostic work using X-rays, ultrasound and endoscopy, along with treatments and medications overseen by its veterinarian. Rehabilitation aims to return recovering animals to their habitat when they are ready. A release marks that stage of care, rather than establishing that an animal will encounter no further hazards.

Common problems described by the center include fishing-gear entanglement, boat strikes, ingestion of plastic and other foreign objects, and sudden changes in water temperature. Those are general threats to sea turtles. The center’s public account does not identify which of them affected the six animals released last week.

Visitors can observe rehabilitation pools from the Turtle Terrace, according to the center. The facility also treats native reptiles such as freshwater turtles and tortoises. It is located at 100 Lighthouse Drive in Ponce Inlet, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission includes it in its [facility directory](https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/wildlife/sea-turtle/facilities/?ref=theamericanquorum.com).

For people who encounter wildlife in distress, the immediate task is reporting the animal to the appropriate responders. Both the center and FWC identify the Wildlife Alert hotline, 888-404-FWCC, or 888-404-3922, as a route for reporting sick, injured, entangled or dead sea turtles. FWC also asks the public to report disturbance of turtles or their nests.

The agency’s [beach guidance](https://myfwc.com/news/all-news/nesting-524/?ref=theamericanquorum.com) encourages reducing lights that can disorient nesting turtles and hatchlings, keeping a respectful distance and protecting the shoreline they use. Those steps address continuing risks beyond the hospital, where successful rehabilitation cannot eliminate hazards from boats, discarded material or artificial lighting.

The event and intake figures in this account come from Volusia County, while the treatment context and reporting guidance come from the center and FWC. TAQ did not witness the release or independently examine the animals’ medical records. No conclusion about the six turtles’ subsequent movements or survival is established by the announcement.

Follow our [National news](https://www.theamericanquorum.com/) and [Florida news](https://www.theamericanquorum.com/tag/florida/) for more reporting.

*Feature image: AI-generated illustration; it does not depict an actual released turtle.*