WESTERLY, R.I. (WPRI) — A crowd gathered at Westerly’s Wuskenau Beach on Saturday morning to watch two critically endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, named Dutton and Argo, be released back into the wild.

Last fall, 16 Kemp’s ridley sea turtles were admitted to Mystic Aquarium’s Animal Rescue Program after they were found cold-stunned on Cape Cod.

While Mystic has rehabilitated turtles before, Saturday was the first time the aquarium was able to release turtles locally. Twelve of the turtles were released earlier in the year in Southern states with warmer water.

Sarah Callan is the manager of the rescue program. “It’s a really exciting day for our team to come here and celebrate all the hard work that went into rehabbing these sea turtles,” Callan said.

“Having the community here and all their support has been amazing as well,” she added.

Mystic says the turtles underwent a personalized treatment plan addressing their specific medical needs including treating wounds, pneumonia and malnourishment.

Kemp ridley sea turtles are facing numerous threats including nesting habitat loss, entanglements and climate change.

Releasing the two turtles is significant for the critically endangered species. “Even just releasing one sea turtle has a huge impact on the population because of the hundreds of thousands of eggs one sea turtle could lay throughout their lifetime,” Callan explained.

The released turtles have also been equipped with two different types of tags that will help scientists keep tabs on where the turtles are located.

“It’s really critical and valuable data because we are going to learn about how climate change and warming waters are affecting the environment, ecosystem and this endangered species,” Callan said.

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The release coincided with National Sandcastle Day and featured a sea turtle sand sculpture. The public art exhibit was created by professional sand sculptor Greg Grady Sr.

The goal of the event was to not only release the turtles but to also raise awareness about the threats the marine animals face and what people can do to help.

Callan says turtles frequent local waters in the summer months and wants people to be wary of what might be swimming at the surface. “It’s just really important for people, if you’re recreationally boating and out on the ocean, just make sure you keep an eye out for them.”

“The most common reason for strandings in the summer months here are those vessel strike cases that we see or those entanglements,” she continued.

Anyone who comes across a marine mammal or sea turtle that may need help or has died can call Mystic Aquarium’s 24-hour hotline at 860-572-5955 x107.