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Staff at New Orleans’s Audubon Aquarium released a critically endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle back into the Gulf of Mexico on November 12, nearly two years after the turtle arrived at their facility for care.

Kemp’s ridley turtles are the smallest and most critically endangered sea turtle species, according to the National Parks Service.

This turtle, nicknamed Cilantro, arrived at the Audubon Aquatic Center in December of 2022 as part of a group of cold-stunned turtles found in New England, the aquarium said.

“Cold-stunning happens when turtles are exposed to cold temperatures,” Audubon Aquarium told Storyful. “They can become weak, unable to swim, and potentially drown.”

After a successful recovery with the help of Audubon rescue team members, Cilantro was returned to the waters off Grand Isle on November 12, footage shows.

Audubon Aquarium urged anyone who spotted stranded, injured, or out-of-habitat marine animals and sea turtles to call their rescue. Credit: Audubon Aquarium via Storyful