To release or not to release. That is the question.
Two stories picked from feeds today are in direct contradiction of each other. Which way is right? Releasing these animals now while the spill is still going seems almost counter productive to me.
From the Orlando Sentinel on July 8:
Today, SeaWorld Orlando is releasing five of the Gulf of Mexico turtles that had been rescued from the oil spill zone.
The turtles were being cared at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS) in Gulfport, Miss. and were treated for injuries related to fishing hooks and lines. They were moved to Orlando, so that the Gulfport facility can make room for more turtles.
From Dawn.com also on July 8th:
In a letter to federal wildlife officials, the non-profit Turtle Island Restoration Network said the government should hold onto the hatchlings for now to prevent them from swimming directly into oiled waters of the Gulf from the BP oil spill.
But the National Park Service biologist who runs the turtle recovery program said government scientists thought the hatchlings were better off set loose as usual from their western Gulf nesting grounds, far from the spills epicenter.
The hardest part is that the oil is still spilling and despite all the worst case scenario training, no one knows what is right. Me, I tend to be more pessimistic. If it were my choice, I would lean to keeping the animals contained.
