Audubon Aquarium of the Americas Celebrates World Sea Turtle Day

Audubon Aquarium of the Americas is shining the spotlight on one of nature's most magnificent creations to commemorate World Sea Turtle Day on Thursday, June 16.

To mark the occasion, Aquarium staffers recently attached a GoPro camera onto King Mydas, the facility's popular giant green turtle, providing amazing footage of a typical day inside the vast, 400,000-gallon Gulf of Mexico Exhibit.

Faced with a host of man-made and natural challenges, almost all species of sea turtle are classified as endangered.Audubon Nature Institute, like other accredited facilities, partners with state and federal agencies to rescue and rehabilitate injured turtles and promote public education programs, particularly the importance of decreasing the use of plastics and recycling.

Audubon's Coastal Wildlife Network (CWN) is the only rehabilitation facility for sea turtles in the state of Louisiana. Since 2010, 215 sea turtles have been rescued and rehabilitated by CWN. The public can report injured or sick marine mammals or sea turtles by calling 504-235-3005. 

• Besides their beauty, sea turtles are ultimate survivors, having nested on the world's beaches since the age of dinosaurs millions of years ago. While the species has evolved little over eons, turtles continue to perform important tasks that contribute to the well-being of both the ocean and the Earth's environment.
• Leatherback and hawkbill sea turtles help keep populations of jellyfish and sponges in check while Green sea turtles like Mydas eat sea grass. Without sea turtles, grass beds would grow into tall blades that would hamper breeding and development of many kinds of marine life.