Elton, a 3- to 5-year-old endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle , was the star of the show on Coney Island Beach on Aug. 6, as marine wildlife and environmental organizations, local officials, and New York Aquarium camp participants and high school leaders cheered his release into the Atlantic Ocean.

Elton was stranded on a beach in Massachusetts in the fall of 2024. The turtle was hypothermic, or “cold-stunned,” a condition that occurs when cold-blooded turtles fail to migrate south before northern waters drop, typically below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, affecting their ability to swim and survive.

The Massachusetts Audubon Society and the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary recovered Elton and assessed his condition. Turtles Fly Too , a nonprofit organization dedicated to rescuing and reloca

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