Lucky, a rehabilitated Kemp’s ridley sea turtle that had been critically endangered, has been returned to the ocean. The reptile received a final health check-up from Atlantis Paradise Island veterinarian Deandra Delancey-Milfort, on Wednesday, April 8, before the Atlantis SeaKeepers team returned it to the ocean off the coast of Paradise Island.
Lucky had washed up on the rocky shoreline of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in fall 2025. It was rescued and rehabilitated by the Canadian Sea Turtle Network. According to an Atlantis Paradise Island press release, it was the first time in Canadian history a cold-stunned Kemp’s ridley had survived.
The press release said when Lucky was ready to return to the ocean, the search began for a rehabilitation facility in a much warmer climate with an animal hospital, specialized veterinary care, and experience with turtle releases. And that Atlantis checked all the boxes, and on February 24, Lucky was at the resort.
Officials said Lucky most likely hatched on a beach somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico, where large groups of female Kemp’s ridleys gather offshore and come onto the beach to nest all at once. From there, they said the tiny turtle would make its way into the ocean and find refuge among floating Sargassum algae, where it would begin to feed on small animals and plants. And after its shell, or “carapace,” had grown to about eight inches, it would migrate to nearshore areas in the Gulf or up into the northwestern Atlantic Ocean.
Officials said sometimes, juvenile sea turtles aren’t strong enough to navigate winds and tides and get pushed too far north, too late in the year. When water temperatures drop, the turtles they said become “cold-stunned,” meaning they are weak, immobile and float on top of the water. And the waves often strand them on shore. In Halifax, where Lucky was found, officials said, it’s very rare for any sea turtle to survive the ordeal.
Against all odds, Lucky was spotted and taken in by the Canadian Sea Turtle Network, whose 600 volunteers comb the rocky coastline from October through March each year, looking for turtles in trouble. For several months the turtle rehabilitated under the care of a veterinarian and flourished. And then came the time to send Lucky back to the ocean.
The team made ready for their trip to Atlantis Paradise Island on February 24, but were impacted by weather. Halifax received nearly 12 inches of snow that day with wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour (mph). With luck on their side, and after 2,700 miles from Halifax to Toronto, Canada, to The Bahamas, the group touched down and met Atlantis’ team at the airport. Lucky was boarded onto the resort’s SeaKeepers rescue vehicle, driven to Atlantis and arrived at their Fish and Turtle Hospital to recover in quarantine until ready to be released. The next day, the veterinarian and aquarist team conducted a proper intake on the turtle: measurements, weight, physical exam, and blood tests. Lucky received a final health check-up before being returned to the ocean off the coast of Paradise Island.
