After months of rehabilitation, SeaWorld Orlando’s Animal Rescue Team returned a total of 16 sea turtles to their ocean home this week. Of these sea turtles, 15 were rescued Dec. 14, 2012, off the coast of Cape Cod, Mass., as part of a massive rescue of animals suffering from cold stress.

Yesterday morning, Sept. 27, SeaWorld Orlando’s Animal Rescue Team, along with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and Sea to Shore, rescued a wayward manatee nicknamed Lil Joe who was lost in the Little Econlockhatchee River in Seminole County, Fla.

A loggerhead sea turtle was returned to the Indian River Wednseday, June 17 near where it was rescued last December.

This morning, SeaWorld Orlando’s animal rescue team returned its fifth manatee of the year into the waters at KARS Park in North Merritt Island, Fla. Claire, a 750-pound female, was rescued last June from the Cape Canaveral area after being hit by a boat.

Earlier this morning, members of the SeaWorld Orlando animal rescue team returned a rehabilitated, sub-adult loggerhead sea turtle back into the waters of the Canaveral National Sea Shore in Titusville, Fla. This is the fifth turtle release of 2012.

On June 14, 1979, Audubon staff member Doris Mager made a strong stand for Florida’s birds of prey – she climbed into an inactive Bald Eagle nest and stayed there for six days and five nights. The purpose of this bold stunt was to raise awareness of the plight of the Bald Eagle and to raise funds to build a premier rehabilitation facility to care for injured birds. Her efforts were successful - and four months later the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey opened its doors.

This morning SeaWorld Orlando’s animal care team traveled to Satellite Beach, Fla., a warm-water site, to release two manatees into a side canal off of the Banana River. Both animals were rescued and transported to SeaWorld Orlando last winter by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), who was also on-site assisting with today’s release.

We live in a world of incredible beauty, and no place is this more apparent than in the Florida Keys. This tropical paradise often serves as an oasis for people wanting to get away from the stressors of life – but unfortunately the animals of the area won’t have the same privilege unless we help them.