Frigid temperatures during the holidays resulted in hundreds of cold-stunned and stranded sea turtles.
Officials say three North Carolina Aquariums are caring for about 250 sea turtles. They include loggerheads, greens and Kemp’s ridleys officials say were caught in the cold water and unable to swim.
“Turtles came in steadily. A special thanks to the teams at the Aquariums and the other turtle heroes this season—the area National Parks staff and N.E.S.T. volunteers who spent their holiday patrolling the beaches in miserably cold temperatures for days on end to locate and rescue as many as possible,” said Emily Christiansen, chief veterinarian, North Carolina Aquariums.
The Aquariums also care for cold-stunned turtles found outside of North Carolina. Earlier this season, a volunteer pilot program, Turtles Fly Too, Inc. transported cold-stunned sea turtles from Cape Cod to Beaufort which were then transported to rehabilitation facilities along the coast.
See video of the rescued turtles HERE.
