3 sea turtles released from hospital into Atlantic

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Three sea turtles are back in the Atlantic Ocean after being treated at the South Carolina Aquarium’s turtle hospital.

They were released Friday at the Isle of Palms.

They include a Kemp’s ridley named Edwin S. Taylor. The 5-pound turtle was accidentally hooked by a fisherman April 14 on the Folly Beach pier and had body lesions.

A 160-pound loggerhead named Santee was found Sept. 14 in the Santee Pass by a fisherman who noticed she couldn’t swim or dive.

A 9-pound green sea turtle named Euginia was found April 20 on Kiawah Island, dehydrated and covered in barnacles and sea squirts.

The turtle hospital has released 74 sea turtles and is treating 14 more. The average daily cost per turtle is $34. The average stay is almost nine months.

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Information from: The Post and Courier, http://www.postandcourier.com