The epic journey of two sea turtles making their way back to their home under the sea was simply shell-tacular at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort on July 27.
Hundreds of guests joined Disney Conservation and the Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) at the shoreline of the Disney Vacation Club Resort to watch the release of two sea turtles during the 17th Tour de Turtles event, which follows the migration patterns of sea turtles across Florida and beyond from their nesting beaches to their feeding and foraging grounds.
“We marvel to watch and help safeguard these iconic imperiled animals’ nests just outside Disney’s Vero Beach Resort,” Dr. Zak, Disney Conservation Director, said. “Having them here gives us an opportunity to have a real meaningful conservation impact in collaboration with so many other great partners. And it feels really good.”
Since the launch of Tour de Turtles in 2008, STC and Disney have joined forces to study 29 sea turtles that have been outfitted with satellite transmitters and released at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort. The Disney Conservation Fund has also directed more than $5.7 million to support sea turtle conservation efforts around the globe since its start in 1995.
The turtles swimming for Disney in this year’s Tour de Turtles, Ebb and Flo, are named after two characters from the all-new animated musical series Disney Jr.’s Ariel, now playing on Disney Jr. and Disney+. The series follows young mermaid princess Ariel as she embarks on fun-filled underwater adventures around the Caribbean-inspired kingdom of Atlantica with her family and friends.
Just as Ariel explores new surroundings in the brand-new animated series, researchers hope to learn where these two female sea turtles will swim off to by using specialized satellite telemetry. Sponsored by Disney Cruise Line and the Disney Conservation Fund, Ebb and Flo join eight other sea turtles in the “Chelonian” race this year, and the turtle that swims the furthest distance during a three-month span will win the Tour de Turtles race.
One of the sea turtles from last year’s race, Madame Leota, an adult loggerhead sea turtle, is still being tracked by the STC today, and has since traveled more than 4,500 miles up the southeastern Atlantic coast to the waters near Delaware and Maryland, according to the latest research data.
Not only do these recently released sea turtles provide crucial information to conservation teams, but researchers and scientists hope these sea turtle ambassadors inspire future conservation efforts. In the wild, sea turtles face several threats including light pollution, which steers new hatchlings away from the ocean, and entanglement in plastic bags and fishing lines.
This crucial marine work is not just limited to this one special day. Disney’s conservation efforts span year-round with a team of experts focused on sea turtle conservation.
Disney’s long-standing commitment to sea turtle conservation in Vero Beach spans over 20 years and has resulted in an estimated 1.8 million sea turtle hatchlings being recorded along the roughly five-mile stretch of beach around the resort.
A dedicated Disney Conservation team mobilizes along the shore near Disney’s Vero Beach Resort to monitor and protect loggerhead, green and leatherback sea turtle nests during each nesting season from May through October. More than 20,000 hours have gone into studying and monitoring these nests since the program began. Just last year, the teams were excited to record a record-breaking 2,800 nests, well above the average 1,300 normally counted in an entire season.
Tour de Turtles is a research and education program of the Sea Turtle Conservancy and Disney’s support is just one example of bringing Disney Planet Possible to life by taking action to make a happier, healthier planet possible for all. To learn more and follow Ebb and Flo’s migration, visit the Tour de Turtles website at www.tourdeturtles.org.