National Aquarium brings in 42-year-old Kemp's ridley sea turtle before going to Atlantic Coral Reef

BALTIMORE - The National Aquarium in the Inner Harbor welcomed in a 42-year-old Kemp's ridley sea turtle from SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida.

The turtle made its way to the Aquarium following a 90-day quarantine at SeaWorld.

According to a press release, the sea turtle is one of 10 Kemp's ridleys that were deemed non-releasable following a 1980's experimental breeding program. The sea turtle will soon make the Atlantic Coral Reef exhibit its forever home.

The sea turtle was one of 10 remaining adult sea turtles raised at the Cayman Turtle Centre in the Cayman Islands as part of an experimental breeding program. In 1980, the wild Kemp's ridley population was at risk of extinction due to hunting and unintentional catching in shrimp trawl fisheries. 

Eight males and two females remained and were sent to SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida, for a 90-day quarantine before finding their new homes.

The male sea turtle, which weighs approximately 62 pounds, was flown by jet thanks to the generosity of National Aquarium Board Member Jack Dwyer, founder of CFG Bank.

The turtle will undergo a 30- to 90-day quarantine and acclimation period at the Animal Care and Rescue Center and will undergo periodic exams to determine his overall health while Animal Care and Welfare staff complete preparations in the Atlantic Coral Reef exhibit. This will be the first time this exhibit has housed a sea turtle in nearly 20 years.