SeaWorld San Diego has reopened its enhanced and upgraded habitat for sea turtles. Turtle Reef is home to Bruce, a rescued and non-releasable green sea turtle.
SeaWorld San Diego has added eight new skylights to Turtle Reef, as well as a new viewing window. Additional species of tropical fish are now being added to the habitat.
Turtle Reef, which has been closed since October 2021, also features loggerhead sea turtles and endangered hawksbill sea turtles.
Flooring throughout the viewing areas has been enhanced and repainted, and new themed rocks and additional air conditioning ducts have been installed.
Turtle Reef features green sea turtle Bruce
“Sea turtles play an important role in maintaining healthy ocean ecosystems including, among other things, maintaining healthy seagrass beds and coral reefs, but sadly every species is currently threatened or endangered,” said Eric Otjen, curator of zoological operations and animal rescue at SeaWorld San Diego.
“Through combining education with world-class animal care and permanent homes for sea turtles that cannot be returned to the wild ocean, SeaWorld is furthering its conservation mission to protect marine animals and their habitats.”
Turtle Reef offers interactive experiences where visitors can learn about sea turtles. Educational games teach players about the importance of sea turtle conservation.
TurtleLink is a touchscreen map of the globe, with guests able to track the animals in oceans and view information, photos and footage of them being released.
Race to the Beach is an interactive video game with controllers shaped like sea turtles. Players are able to guide their animal to the Baja California peninsula to lay eggs.
Educational ‘Turtle Talks’ will also be available daily from 23 April. An animal educator will share facts about sea turtles, as well as rescue stories.
Animal care specialists at SeaWorld observe and assess the turtles, checking their physical health. This includes inspecting flipper and shell conditions and removing algae from shells.
Thorough health assessments are performed, and SeaWorld San Diego provides specialised care for sea turtles with unique health conditions.
SeaWorld has also announced plans to expand its critical care facility for manatees in Orlando. The project will double the size of SeaWorld’s critical care space in Florida.
Images: SeaWorld
