A Strong Commitment to Animal Care and Well-Being

In March I had the honor of joining the team that released Porkchop the green sea turtle back into the wild. I have participated in animal rescues and releases in the past, but this was my first release with the Aquarium of the Pacific, and it was truly inspiring. 

Porkchop was spotted in distress in the San Gabriel River by the Aquarium’s volunteers during community sea turtle monitoring program last year.

In the ensuing rescue, Aquarium staff freed her from a life-threatening situation where she was tangled up in garbage on the floor of the river. Unfortunately, we had to amputate her flipper due to the damage done by discarded fishing wire. 

But Porkchop, named for her food-motivated personality, healed and recovered under the incredible care of Aquarium staff. She also became a local celebrity after she was featured in the Los Angeles Times and People magazine.

After eleven months of recovery, she was finally ready to go back out into the river. The release went flawlessly, and the professionalism of the Aquarium team was nothing short of impressive in their care of this sea turtle during her rescue, rehabilitation, and release. Porkchop has since been spotted and filmed thriving in her river habitat, which has a population of nearly one hundred other resident green sea turtles. 

While green sea turtles are still protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, they were globally downlisted from Endangered to a species of Least Concern last year, after decades of conservation initiatives and mostly rebounding populations. So, while returning Porkchop to the river was probably not essential to help save the species, it was the best choice for her individual welfare. 

The professionals at the Aquarium make decisions like this on a regular basis—making sure that rescued animals in our care get the opportunity for the best life possible, whether that means a reintroduction into the wild or keeping them at the Aquarium for lifelong sanctuary if they are unable to be safely returned into nature.

Our newest sea turtle patient, Meatloaf—a hearty, over 200-pound green sea turtle—is currently recovering from injuries sustained in the wild before being rescued by Aquarium staff. 

If our veterinarians and rehabilitation staff determine that she could survive and do well in the wild once her injuries heal, I am hopeful that I will be able to be a part of her release too.

However, if it turns out that she is likely to have a better quality of life staying at the Aquarium under the watchful eye of our animal care specialists, I know that she will be granted the best possible stress-free life for the rest of her days at the Aquarium. And that’s something everyone who supports and visits the Aquarium of the Pacific can feel good about.

This commitment to care and well-being extends to each of our 12,000 animals, including the hundreds of sea jellies you will soon see in our new Jelly Dreamscapes exhibit, which you can read more about in this issue of Pacific Currents.