Over 100 Cold-Stunned Sea Turtles Saved On Cape: New England Aquarium

QUINCY, MA — There's been a growing number of cold-stunned sea turtles getting stranded on Cape Cod beaches over the last few weeks. This comes after a slow start to the annual sea turtle stranding season, according to officials with the New England aquarium.

So far this season, the New England Aquarium has rescued 119 sea turtles, many of which are endangered species. Wildlife officials said 109 of them were Kemp ridleys, the most endangered sea turtle in the world. The other 10 cold-stunned turtles included eight green turtles and two logger heads.

The turtles are receiving treatment for life-threatening medical conditions, including pneumonia and dehydration, a result of days or weeks of hypothermia and the inability to feed, when water temperatures drop.

“After months of planning and preparation, our team has mobilized quickly to triage these animals as temperatures dip in Cape Cod Bay and lead to more and more strandings," said Adam Kennedy, the manager of the aquarium's Rescue and Rehabilitation branch.

Each year, hundreds of cold-stunned sea turtles wash up on Cape Cod beaches. Because of the cooling water temperatures and wind patterns changing, many turtles cannot escape the hook-like area of Cape Cod Bay before becoming cold-stunned.

Starting in October, staff and volunteers with the Massachusetts Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary began combing the beaches looking for stranded turtles. Those turtles are brought to the aquarium's sea turtle hospital in Quincy.

This year, the season got off to a late start because of a warm start to fall. Aquarium officials said the first few turtles admitted to the sea turtle hospital arrived on Nov. 17. This past Saturday alone, 41 turtles were taken to the aquarium’s facility for care. Two of the more unusual cases include a loggerhead as well as a 20-pound green turtle.

"Early in the season, we typically see the smaller Kemp’s ridley and green turtles," said Charles Innis, the aquarium's director of animal health. "The larger loggerhead turtles will start to wash ashore in December, though we saw our first loggerhead of the season on Thanksgiving Day. Every case is unique, and each turtle receives specific care based on its condition."

Aquarium officials said hospitalized turtles are treated similarly to hospitalized people. They are assigned an identification number, a medical record is created, and they are evaluated to determine the nature of their illness.

The turtles are then given a physical examination, blood work, X-rays, and vitals are taken. Due to the severity of their illness, many turtles require weeks or months of treatment, including fluid therapy and antibiotics.

Once turtles are stable, the aquarium’s veterinarians will clear them to go to a secondary rehab facility. The aquarium works closely with colleagues at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Fisheries Service to find rehabilitation centers across the United States that can accept the turtles, making room for new arrivals in Massachusetts.

The non-profit organization Turtles Fly Too also plays a key role in bringing the turtles to these facilities. On Monday, volunteer pilots with Turtles Fly Too flew more than 40 turtles from the New England Aquarium and National Marine Life Center south, where they will continue rehabilitation before being released back into the ocean. The partner organizations providing care include the South Carolina Aquarium, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, North Carolina Aquariums, and the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center. Another transport flight is scheduled for later this week to Florida.

Aquarium officials said donations are crucial to continuing their work. The aquarium launched a Giving Tuesday campaign to help support sea turtle rescues and rehabilitation. On Tuesday, each donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $200,000, thanks to an anonymous donor. Supporters can contribute here.