Happy Birthday, Honu! - Maui Ocean Center

Park Hours
9 AM - 5 PM

Park Hours 9 AM - 5 PM

Happy Birthday, Honu!

June 4, 2020

MAUI OCEAN CENTER’S SIX HAWAIIAN GREEN SEA TURTLES TURN TWO

The MOC ʻohana recently celebrated a very special occasion. Our six Hawaiian green sea turtle ambassadors, Kuʻuipo (Turtle 1), Kilakila (Turtle 2), Nohea (Turtle 3), Hohonu (Turtle 4), Makaʻala (Turtle 5), and Auliʻi (Turtle 6), turned two!

Sea turtles are only with us for a short period of time at the beginning of their lives, so celebrating these milestones is particularly meaningful. Even though we’re currently closed, we were still able to come together, masks and all, to cook up a very special birthday cake – turtle gel made of cucumber, broccoli, carrots, spinach, herring, spirulina, gelatin, yeast, and pellets!

The Hawaiian green sea turtles, or honu, at Maui Ocean Center are part of an ongoing outreach program that started in the 1970’s. Sea Life Park on Oʻahu is home to the parents of these young turtles, and while most of the hatchlings are released to the wild, a few become ambassadors of their species at MOC.

 

All sea turtles are protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973 – only through a special permit are we allowed to care for and handle them. Our sea turtle ambassadors are weighed and measured weekly to monitor growth and ensure overall health, and after a few years under our care, are ready to be introduced to the ocean to continue their lives in their natural habitat.

We continue to learn from our turtle ambassadors after their release. Satellite transmitters, like the one fitted to Nakine, a previous turtle ambassador, continue to shed light on the movements of young turtles around the Hawaiian Islands.

 

It won’t be long before Kuʻuipo, Kilakila, Nohea, Hohonu, Makaʻala, and Auliʻi are ready to embark on their next chapter of life in the open ocean. Until then, they are well cared for by Team Manō and Team Honu!

 

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things to do at the Maui Ocean Center​

Living Reef

How many corals can you count? Our Living Reef showcases 40 unique and rare species of Hawaiian corals, ranging from shallow to deep-sea ecosystems.

Kaho‘olawe: History and Healing

Discover a sacred and storied island, a powerful testament to the human capacity for destruction and regeneration.

Hawaiians and the Sea

Celebrate the culture and traditions of the first Hawaiians.

Turtle Lagoon

Say aloha to the honu, our charismatic Hawaiian green sea turtles!

Humpbacks of Hawaiʻi Exhibit & Sphere

Explore the realm of the whales in our virtual sphere experience.

Open Ocean

Take a stroll through the 35-foot long acrylic tunnel as sharks soar above your head. Watch elegant stingrays turn backflips in our 750,000-gallon Open Ocean tank—a slice of the pelagic sea.