Globe and Patriot Ledger cover release of sea turtles rehabilitated at UNE

The Boston Globe and Patriot Ledger on April 7th ran stories on 28 sea turtles - including five from UNE's Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center - that were taken in a caravan from Maine to Florida, with pickup stops along the way in Boston and Baltimore.

The five turtles are the last of 14 loggerheads that spent up to four months recovering from severe hypothermia at UNE.  Of the 14 that were brought to MARC, 13 survived.

The Globe interviewed Kristen Patchett, UNE MARC marine animal rehabilitation coordinator, who discussed the five loggerheads rehabilitated at UNE.

When one washes up, researchers have the opportunity to study a noncaptive sea turtle unusually closely, Patchett said.

“The strandings are pretty much the only way that students . . . can get experience working with them,” she said.

The Patriot Ledger also reported on the release of the turtles on Sunday, April 7th at Little Talbot Island in a state park in Jacksonville, Fla.

Read the Globe and Ledger stories. Watch two videos from earlier New England Cable News and Portland Press Herald stories. A number of other local and regional media outlets also ran stories on the turtles.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.