Cold-Stunned Sea Turtles Caught in Hypothermic Water Temperatures Taken to Rehab Centers

This week, planes from Massachusetts transported dozens of stranded cond-stunned sea turtles suffering from hypothermic water temperatures.

The turtles, startled by the colder temperatures, will be treated medically and slowly made whole again.

Rachel Overmeyer, the rehabilitation program manager for Jekyll Island's Georgia Sea Turtle Center, pointed out that sea turtles use the water temperature around them to control their body temperatures, and during the winter, many sea turtles become trapped in hypothermic water that is less than 50 degrees.

Overmeyer added that a stranded sea turtle is one that has been discovered floating or washed ashore, either alive or dead. If the turtle is still alive, it is usually in poor health and could be ill or hurt.

Rescuing 43 Cold-Stunned Sea Turtles

Six of the seven sea turtle species that exist in the world are found in the United States. The Endangered Species Act protects each of those six species. On the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, the Kemp's ridley turtle, the hawksbill turtle, and the green sea turtle are all listed as critically endangered.

43 sea turtles were flown recently from the National Marine Life Center in Bourne, Massachusetts, and the New England Aquarium in Boston. They made three stops to deliver the turtles, first to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and then to the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston and Hampton Bays, New York's Atlantic Marine Conservation Society. Six green sea turtles and 37 Kemp's ridley turtles were delivered.

The way that cold-stunned turtles are handled can vary.

Overmeyer says that It's crucial to gradually rewarm the turtles so that the water temperature matches their body temperature. Every day, the temperature will rise by 5 degrees. They may experience physiological changes that make them stressed or shocked if the temperature is increased too quickly.

Additionally, the turtles will receive supportive care, which may entail radiographs, blood tests, diagnostics, and wound care if necessary. Due to their proximity to warmer water, facilities in the south frequently receive cold-stunned sea turtles.

Read also: Uptick in Pet Turtle Demand Drives Poaching, Risks 50% of Remaining Species into Possible Extinction 

Rehabilitation

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center is a center for training, study, and rehabilitation. The facility has helped more than 1,500 sick, injured, or stranded animals since 2017.

The turtles may occasionally undergo rehabilitation to the point where they are fit for release. They sometimes settle there permanently.

Overmeyer says that The turtle's condition and response to treatment always determine the release date for a patient.

There are numerous factors to consider when deciding whether to release an animal back into the wild, so this cannot be guaranteed. Some patients are relocated to a long-term care facility where they act as educational animals rather than being released back into the wild because, depending on their injury, they need ongoing medical attention or physical therapy to keep their health intact.

Flying Turtles

Turtles Fly Too, a nonprofit organization that recruits pilots to donate their time and aircraft so that sea turtles can be flown to safety, assisted the cold-stunned turtles in their journey from Massachusetts. According to the Turtles Fly Too website, when sea turtles are hurt, tangled up, or suffer from cold shock, the company collaborates with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The company provides transportation for injured turtles.

The number of sea turtles that experience cold shock annually is unknown.

Overmeyer pointed out that Cold-stunning is purely dependent on the weather and is unpredictable. The probability of more sea turtles being harmed increases with the temperature drop, but other than that, it's unpredictable, Treehugger reports.

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