KIAWAH ISLAND -- The runway was sand instead of red carpet, but the nine sea turtles that made their way down it Friday were definitely celebrities to several hundred spectators who came out to watch as they proudly swam back out to sea.
Dawsey, a loggerhead sea turtle, makes his way to the ocean Friday after being released at Beachwalker County Park.The eight green sea turtles and one 200-pound loggerhead had spent the previous several months recovering at the South Carolina Aquarium's sea turtle hospital.
Child volunteers walked ahead of each turtle holding large signs bearing the animal's name. And spectators leaned in from behind ropes to get a better look at the creatures.
As each one finally made it to the ocean and started to swim, the crowd erupted in cheers and applause.
Caroline Fields, 12, and Audrey Smith, 8, were especially interested in the loggerhead, who was named Dawsey. The girls, from Mount Pleasant, were boating with their families last September when they came across the animal stranded on a sandbar on Capers Inlet.
The animal had a large, infected wound on its front left flipper and was unable to use it. The families called the aquarium for help and kept on eye on the turtle until workers arrived.
"She was in pretty bad shape," Caroline said. "It's pretty cool to know she's all better now."
The South Carolina Aquarium's Sea Turtle Rescue Program Friday released eight green sea turtles and one loggerhead at Beachwalker Park on Kiawah Island. The sea turtles fell ill during a cold snap in December, and the loggerhead had a wounded flipper.
Kelly Thorvalson, program manager for the aquarium's Sea Turtle Rescue Program, said nine turtles are a lot to release at one event. But the hospital is treating more animals in recent years, so the releases are getting bigger.
And the release events are "becoming quite a draw," she said.
The eight green sea turtles released Friday were all victims of a December cold snap, she said. One of the turtles, named Frosty, was found on Hilton Head Island with frostbite on its flippers, she said.
Staff members at the turtle hospital give the animals medical care, food and a lot of love.
Aquarium spokeswoman Kate Dittloff said it costs about $230,000 each year to run the program. That comes out to about $50 per day for each hospitalized turtle, she said.
Lawton Connelly, of West Ashley, was there with daughter Cecilia. They have attended other release events and have visited the turtle hospital, he said.
The release events are unique to Charleston, he said. "It's not something everybody gets to see everyday."
His favorite turtle is the loggerhead, he said. That's simply because they are so big.
