Four sick sea turtles being cared for at the Shanghai Ocean
Aquarium will return to the sea tomorrow, healthy and strong.
They have been looked after at the aquarium since last November,
when they were accidentally caught, an aquarium spokeswoman
said.
"At that time the turtles weighed only about five kilograms, and
their shells were full of cracks," said Daisy Wu, an official with
the aquarium's marketing department.
Now, the biggest among the four turtles weighs 36 kilograms,
while the smallest one now weighs four times as much as when it was
admitted to the aquarium. The shells have also healed.
"The turtles stayed in our 155-meter-long 'harbor tunnel', and
we created an oceanic environment for them," Daisy said.
The Shanghai Administration of Fishing Affairs will return the
turtles to the sea at Luchao Port.
Meanwhile, a citizen surnamed Zhao presented a pair of
black-breasted leaf turtles to the Shanghai Zoo over the weekend,
after he found he couldn't spare the time to take care of the pets.
The zoo thanked Zhao, but warned possessing protected animals was
illegal.
(Shanghai Daily October 22, 2007)