Four sick sea turtles being cared for at the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium will return to the sea tomorrow, healthy and strong.

They have been looked after at the aquarium since last November, when they were accidentally caught, an aquarium spokeswoman said.

"At that time the turtles weighed only about five kilograms, and their shells were full of cracks," said Daisy Wu, an official with the aquarium's marketing department.

Now, the biggest among the four turtles weighs 36 kilograms, while the smallest one now weighs four times as much as when it was admitted to the aquarium. The shells have also healed.

"The turtles stayed in our 155-meter-long 'harbor tunnel', and we created an oceanic environment for them," Daisy said.

The Shanghai Administration of Fishing Affairs will return the turtles to the sea at Luchao Port.

Meanwhile, a citizen surnamed Zhao presented a pair of black-breasted leaf turtles to the Shanghai Zoo over the weekend, after he found he couldn't spare the time to take care of the pets. The zoo thanked Zhao, but warned possessing protected animals was illegal.

(Shanghai Daily October 22, 2007)