Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island marks release of 1,000th rehabilitated turtle

Aug. 16—JEKYLL ISLAND — A lot of milestones are being celebrated on the coast in Georgia's Golden Isles this year. Jekyll Island is marking 75 years as a state park, and its Georgia Sea Turtle Center is in its 15th year.

On the island, another major milestone was reached this summer in the form of Anni (short for anniversary), a loggerhead sea turtle that is the 1,000th sea turtle to be rehabilitated by the center.

Anni was released back into the ocean last week, according to Michelle Kaylor, rehabilitation program manager for the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. That rehabilitation is part of the center's three-pronged effort to help the native sea turtles.

"People who work here, it's a passion they have," said Kaylor, who has worked at the center for all 15 years of its existence. "We concentrate on education, research and rehabilitation — and those things have a ripple effect."

There are many educational opportunities at the center, which houses a museumlike area displaying everything you'd want to know about the sea turtles that call Georgia home. That also includes a viewing area that allows visitors to watch as the sea turtles are examined and operated on.

Behind the museum is a covered area with outdoor tanks where the sea turtles are cared for as they are rehabilitated.

Kaylor said about 30% of the injuries the center sees are from boat strikes, a "very traumatic injury" that she said damages the top part of the sea turtle's shell, which is called the carapace.

Five species of sea turtles live off the coast of Georgia, which saw a record for sea turtle nests this year as 3,966 nests were recorded. Loggerhead sea turtles are the most abundant sea turtle species both in the United States and in Georgia, officials said.

Sea Turtle Center officials said the record number of nests is a testament to Georgia's ongoing conservation successes. The center said the nesting loggerhead sea turtle population in Georgia has increased by about 4% each year since the '90s.

All five species of sea turtles found in the waters along the state are protected by state and federal law, Georgia Department of Natural Resources officials said. Teams of biologists and volunteers monitor loggerhead nests, helping protect them from poaching and habitat destruction during the spring and summer nesting season.

Those who have visited Jekyll Island know that one of the ways officials try to protect the sea turtles during nesting season is by requiring beachgoers to use red lights during evening hours. Bright light can disorient the sea turtles, causing them to be unable to find their way to the nest or the ocean.

Kaylor said that in addition to the tours offered at the center, visitors to Jekyll Island also can take night tours where they can search for nesting turtles.

"Summer time is the best time for nesting turtles laying eggs," she said. "Our research teams are out all night long. And our education team is also out with visitors on the beach."

The research and education parts of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center's mission are important, but the rehabilitation part is very satisfying on a personal level, Kaylor said.

She again experienced that feeling on Aug. 4 when Anni was taken to the beach and returned to home waters.

"It's an awesome feeling. That's what drives you, to see an animal that's on death's door and putting in a lot of hard work and seeing (it) improve," Kaylor said. "Being able to release the animal on the beach and see it go back to it's home is priceless."