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ByWTOC Staff | Published:Jul. 29, 2021 at 11:48 PM EDT
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - A large crowd gathered Wednesday afternoon for a famous turtle send-off!
Campers made signs and cheered as Admiral, or Addy for short, was released into the ocean.
The now 56-pound turtle was just a hatchling when she and five siblings were found in a trash can at the Admiral Inn on the island three years ago.
The five other turtles were previously released but Addy stayed serving as the Marine Science Center’s ambassador.
It was a very special day for The Tybee Island Marine Science Center.
“She has been with us longer than any of our sea turtles. This is also our first public release as a science center; in the past they’ve always been so small we’ve had to take them off shore to release. So for Admiral being our most famous and beloved sea turtle, for her to be our first release off the beach with all of her fans, it was perfect,” said Chantal Audran, Curator of Tybee Marine Science Center.
The loggerhead sea turtle really thrived at the Marine Science Center, outgrowing her tank not once, but twice and she’s still growing.
She is tagged and the team believes one day, maybe in 20 years, she’ll return and lay her own nest. And when she does, they’ll be able to identify her.
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