SeaWorld hasn’t made too many friends in the animal welfare world. After a series of events involving the deaths of whales and a trainer, some want the marine park to call it quits.

On a positive note, SeaWorld doesn’t hold all of its animals captive forever.

The organization recently released its 1,000th sea turtle into the waters at Canaveral National Seashore. SeaWorld has had a turtle rescue and rehabilitation program in place since 1980.

Julia Moore, senior aquarist at SeaWorld Orlando, called the event, “bittersweet” and said “it’s the best feeling to be able to return them.”

SeaWorld rehabilitates about 50 sea turtles a year, but that number rose dramatically after last year’s cold winter and the BP oil spill in the Gulf.

Some turtles, like two who are blind and another missing part of its jaw, will forever call SeaWorld their home because they would never survive if released into the wild.

According to an article at Florida Today, of the 523 that were taken in by SeaWorld in Orlando last year, 419 of them were rehabilitated and released.

Photo: ukanda/Creative Commons

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