ANIMALS
‘Cold-Stunned’ Sea Turtles Fly South To Recover After Washing Up On Cape Cod Shores
New England Aquarium
Hundreds of cold-stunned turtles have washed up on Massachusetts shores since early November, and dozens have been flown to sunnier locales to recover, according to the New England Aquarium.
The region’s annual turtle stranding season typically begins in late fall, when turtles are unable to escape the hook-like area of Cape Cod Bay due to rapidly changing water temperatures and wind patterns. As a result, hundreds of hypothermic and cold-stunned turtles wash up on the shores of Cape Cod, requiring rescue.
So far this season, the New England Aquarium has treated 214 sea turtles, including 189 critically endangered Kemps ridley turtles, 19 green turtles, and six loggerheads. The aquarium said they’re also finding stranded turtles outside their usual range this season, in Hull and Hingham, indicating that more turtles in Massachusetts Bay are inhabiting a wider range of locations.
“This sea turtle stranding season has gotten off to a later start than the past few years. We are ramping up now and have seen 134 turtles in just the past five days, Adam Kennedy, the Aquariums Director of Rescue and Rehabilitation, said in a statement Monday. Whether it is 1 or 100 turtles in a given day, our team at the New England Aquarium is ready to help give these turtles the best shot of being returned home.
Rescued turtles are located by volunteers from multiple organizations, and transported to the aquariums Sea Turtle Hospital in Quincy. Besides being cold, many of the rescued turtles are suffering from dehydration, pneumonia, and injuries including shell fractures, the aquarium said.
“These turtles are often critically ill and require a variety of medical treatments to ensure they have the best chance for survival,” said Senior Veterinarian Kathryn Tuxbury.
To make more room at the Sea Turtle Hospital, the aquarium partners with the nonprofit organization Turtles Fly Too and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations (NOAA) Fisheries Service to transport some turtles to other aquariums. The most critically sick and injured turtles will remain at the New England Aquarium to complete their rehabilitation.
Volunteer pilots with Turtles Fly Too began transport flights last week, moving 35 turtles to the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores and the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, also in North Carolina. Fifteen turtles were transported by ground to the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Md., last week.
Another 52 turtles were transported to Florida this week, where they will be rehabilitated at several different facilities. Sixteen Kemps ridley sea turtles were taken to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater.
The Kemps ridley sea turtles are the most endangered species of sea turtle, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium said in a statement Wednesday. Were one of the lucky few who have the honor of helping New England Aquarium to help save this species.
The remaining turtles were taken to Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, The Florida Aquarium in Tampa and Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Jupiter.
TMX contributed to this article.
