New Batch of Northern Red-Bellied Cooters Arrives

May 29, 2009

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The National Marine Life Center turned in its batch of six headstarted Northern Red-Bellied Cooters to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts today.  These fall hatchlings had been at the center since last September and were deemed large, healthy and releaseable into the wild.  However, if you walk into the National Marine Life Center this afternoon, you could be forgiven for a deep sense of déjà vu because our team came back from the release with another batch of six Northern Red-Bellied Cooters.  These half dozen turtles, which had been headstarted elsewher, had not reached releaseable size and a couple seemed to exhibit some unusual behaviors.  So, they were admitted to our marine animal hospital for more intensive care with the hope that they will be released into the wild later this summer.  Except for their miniature size, everything looks pretty much the way it did this morning when our own headstarts left to return to nature.  The more thing change, the more things remain the same.

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