USPS Issues Texas State Aquarium’s ‘Daisy’ as Spotlight in Protect Sea Turtles Commemorative Forever Stamp
June 11, 2024
CORPUS CHRISTI, TX – United States Postal Service (USPS), in collaboration with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and National Park Service (NPS), issued an eight-stamp Protect Sea Turtles collection to bring awareness to the endangered sea turtle population and to wildlife conservation efforts.
Texas State Aquarium’s (TSA) Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle, Daisy, made her cameo as an honoree on a stamp design issued June 11, 2024. Daisy was the first resident of the Texas State Aquarium in 1990, which makes her very special. Daisy became a permanent resident after being deemed non-releasable due to severe cataracts, which impaired her eyesight and made it difficult for her to hunt for prey or evade predators in the wild. You can currently find her cruising around the Islands of Steel exhibit. Kemp’s Ridley turtles nest only in Texas and Mexico, and one part of the conservation effort is the collection of their eggs from the beach, where they are then hatched, and raised in a protected environment until they’re sizeable and strong enough to survive on their own. When deemed ready for release, they are placed back into the Gulf of Mexico to live out their life cycle.
At the stamp ceremony were representatives from various partner organizations, Linn’s Stamp News’ Editor-in-Chief, Jay Bigalke, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Deputy Regional Director Southwest Region, Jeff Fleming, NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources Chief of Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Conservation Division, Dr. Shannon Bettridge, the National Park Services Superintendent, Eric Brunnemann, the USPS’s Texas 2 District Manager, David Camp, and the Aquarium’s President and CEO, Jesse Gilbert. The unveiling occurred Tuesday, June 11th in the CITGO Skyline room, overlooking the city’s bridge and waterway, with over 300 people registered. A meet and greet session followed the announcement celebration. News of the stamps is being shared with the hashtag #ProtectSeaTurtlesStamps.
The story of Daisy is much like other marine aquatics, birds and animals that call the Texas State Aquarium home. For injured wildlife brought into the Port Corpus Christi Center for Wildlife Rescue, the goal is to rescue, rehabilitate and release. In Daisy’s case, and many more, the ability to safely release the animals back to the wild is not an option. In those cases, TSA will either create a habitat on site or relocate the animal to an industry partner.
“With the addition of the Port Corpus Christi Center for Wildlife Rescue, the Aquarium’s efforts have a much larger reach across Texas and the entire nation. We have state-of-the-art medical equipment being paired with unmanned aircraft systems and artificial intelligence, and the scope of our capabilities has widened,” explains CEO, Jesse Gilbert. TSA plans to lead the way in preventative conservation, developing and implementing new techniques to help provide second chances and longer life cycles to our wildlife.
Special thanks to the United States Postal Service for their work in bringing attention to this impactful effort for sea turtle conservation around the nation. Daisy isn’t just a rescue story; she’s a testament to the impact of dedicated conservation efforts. Together, we can help maintain an environment enriched with wildlife.
Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through the Postal Store at usps.com/protectseaturtlestamps, by calling 1-844-737-7826, by mail through the Post Office locations nationwide.
To learn more about the Port Corpus Christi Center for Wildlife Rescue or our conservation efforts, go to texasstateaquarium.org/wildlife-rescue.
