Kids Get Awards for Saving Sea Turtles

Three siblings save sea turtles during their summer vacations

Siblings John, Anna and Rory Carney don't just relax on their summer vacations from Boston to Fort Lauderdale. They save the lives of baby sea turtles.

That's why they were honored with an "Animal Hero Award" by the National Animal Hero Kids program. It's for the hours they spend on the beach helping disoriented turtles who cannot follow the moonlight find their way to the water.
 
"It's just amazing to see the animals get out of the nest and just watch the whole thing," 14-year-old John Carney said. "Like which way the lights are reflecting onto the sand and seeing the light beaming down on your eyes like the sea turtles see."
 
"I think they are so important in our world and if they go, then the coral reef dies, and then the ocean dies, and then we die," 15-year-old Anna Carney said.
 
11-year-old Rory Carney said he has saved 700 turtles.
 
"I think it's good that I saved that much," he said.
 
George Arahovitis, 9, does the same thing when he visits for the summer from New York City.
 
Four years ago, he was interested when he saw sea turtle nests on the beach. Now, he has helped rescue more than 900.
 
"It's a fun experience saving them," Arahovitis said. "And they're so cute."
 
Arahovitis worked with firefighters to save turtles that ended up in a storm drain, and even after the firefighters left, he spent hours saving more.
 

"We didn't want them to die and we wanted them to come back and lay more eggs on the beaches," he said.

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