Cold Turtles Get Free Ride South

Twenty-four turtles found stranded and freezing on Cape Cod have been relocated to the comfort of warmer climates thanks to a $1,000 grant from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

Each year, a few dozen sea turtles wash ashore on Cape Cod beaches. Sea turtles migrate or float with the current and feed in Cape Cod Bay during the warm summer months.

When the water turns cold in early winter, it reduces the turtles’ body temperatures below normal, and the turtles may wash ashore in a condition called cold stunned. IFAW has assisted with the rescue and rehabilitation of sea turtles in previous years as well, including 1999 when over 200 turtles stranded within a month.

So far this year, 101 turtles have been transported to the New England Aquarium for rehabilitation. The turtles were suffering from hypothermia, illness and some injuries. Twenty-four of the rescued turtles – 22 Kemp’s ridleys and two hybrid species – will be heading south to warm waters.

Four are going to South Carolina and 20 are going to Florida. The $1,000 donation will be used to pay for the trip on a commercial airline.

“We are happy to work with the New England Aquarium and do our part to rescue and rehabilitate these turtles,” said Joanne Fielder, IFAW emergency relief veterinarian. “The shock caused by the sudden drop in temperature in our waters can be incredibly severe, so we hope these turtles make a full recovery and enjoy their winter home down south.”

Twenty turtles — 18 Kemp’s ridleys and two hybrids — will be transported today to Florida while the remaining four will leave for South Carolina on Friday. In Florida, four turtles will be taken to Volusia Marine Science Center in Ponce Inlet, four to the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, six to the Disney Living Seas Rehabilitation Center, four to the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, and two to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater.

In South Carolina, all four Kemp’s ridleys will go to the South Carolina Aquarium in Charlestown.
Provided by theEnvironmental News Service.