Say cheese: Aquarium releases Brie and Gruyere, 2 loggerheads, back into the ocean (2024)

FOLLY BEACH— A large crowd gathered on the shore May 22 in hopes of catching a glimpse of a couple of sea turtles making their way back into the ocean.

The South Carolina Aquarium released two loggerhead turtles at Folly Beach County Park. The turtles, named Brie and Gruyere, were patients admitted to the aquarium's Sea Turtle Care Center in 2023.

Gruyere arrived a cold-stunned turtle from New England last December. The juvenile loggerhead was one of five sea turtles sent from the New England Aquarium. Gruyere was found stranded in Cape Cod, Mass., and flown to South Carolina for treatment.

Gruyere was diagnosed with a severe case of pneumonia. Cold stunning occurs in turtles that are exposed to cold water temperatures — below 50 degrees Fahrenheit — for long periods of time. Fortunately, the turtle responded quickly to a regimen of antibiotics and rest.

Brie arrived as an extremely sick turtle in July 2023. She was found stranded in the Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge, which is located about 42 miles north of Charleston, suffering from debilitated turtle syndrome.

Melissa Ranly, Sea Turtle Care Center manager, said debilitated turtle syndrome essentially means that a turtle has been ill for an extended amount of time. In Brie's case, she was lethargic, anemic and covered in hundreds of leeches.She weighed a measly 69 pounds.

"She was so underweight that there were literally holes in the bottom portion of her shell where her body was. She was so nutritionally deficient that her body was absorbing its own nutrients," Ranly said.

At the May 22 release, Brie was like a whole new turtle, Ranly said.

It took several volunteers to lift Brie, now a healthy 120 pounds, out of the truck she was transferred in. They brought her to the tide line, placed her on the sand where the waves began to lap at the shore, and she was off.

Flipper by flipper she pushed her way into the ocean, eager to return to the open water after nearly a year spent healing at the aquarium. Excited bystanders cheered as Brie took on her first wave.

Kevin Mills, president and CEO of the South Carolina Aquarium, said the releases are bittersweet. Bonds with the turtles are easily forged for both staff and aquarium visitors who follow along with a turtle's recovery.

"We look forward to these days every year when we can return patients back to where they belong, and it is truly a celebration for the entire team. There are folks who have cared for these turtles, some of which may or may not make it, and have persevered against all odds," Mill said.

Only two volunteers were needed to bring Gruyere to the water's edge. A raucous applause erupted from the onlookers when Gruyere dipped beneath the waves. He bobbed up once more for a final glance of the group that gathered for the send-off.

Last March, the aquarium celebrated its milestone 400th turtle release since the Sea Turtle Care Center was established in 2017.The release of Brie and Gruyere brings the total number of rehabilitated turtles released to 412.

The crowd dissipated quickly as the turtles disappeared from view, resuming their beach day on Folly. The journey back home for the two loggerheads, though, had just begun.