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New England Aquarium staff treat a cold-stunned sea turtle. New England AquariumAfter a long, mild fall, New Englanders are not the only ones shocked by the sudden arrival of winter temperatures.Hundreds of sea turtles are now washing up on Massachusetts beaches, cold-stunned and suffering from life-threatening conditions including hypothermia, pneumonia, dehydration, sepsis or traumatic injuries, according to a New England Aquarium statement published on Monday. Members of the Massachusetts Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary have been rescuing the afflicted turtles at Cape Cod Bay and taking them to the aquariums sea turtle hospital in Quincy.No new wounds, but there was a big chunk out of his shell from something obviously in the distant past, Bruce Beane, a sea turtle rescuing volunteer from Chatham, tells the Cape Cod Times Zane Razzaq, describing the Kemps ridley sea turtle he found on Ryder Beach shortly after midnight Monday morning. He couldnt quite walk but kept trying.Cold-stunning events for sea turtles are expected around this time of the year. Sea turtles are cold-blooded, meaning they cant regulate their own body temperatures, and they thrive in oceans between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, per the Independents Julia Musto. They reach northern waters by hitching a ride on the warm Gulf Stream in May and June, but during the fall some become trapped behind the hook-shaped Cape Cod peninsula, especially when strong winds prevent them from migrating back to warmer waters for the winter. The cold waters make the turtles weak and unable to feed or swim, which in turn can leave them vulnerable to issues, including disease, starvation and boat-caused injuries.As of earlier this week, the hospital workers have treated a seasonal total of 257 live sea turtles: 214 Kemps ridley turtles, 39 green turtles and four loggerhead turtles. Upon arrival, the reptiles go through a physical exam, bloodwork and X-rays, with some requiring subsequent treatment for weeks or months. Certain cases even call for an ultrasound or an epinephrine shot to stimulate their heartbeat, according to the Cape Cod Times.When they come in here, the main thing that we need to do is give them fluidsbecause theyre dehydrated, and then also antibiotics as well, because the vast majority of them do get pneumonia, Melissa Joblon, director of animal health at the New England Aquarium, tells WCVBs Todd Kazakiewich.The turtles are then slowly transitioned into warmer and warmer waters, until theyre cleared to be released again. At the end of the day, getting these turtles back to the wild is what we are doing and what we want, saysAdam Kennedy, the New England Aquariums director of rescue and rehabilitation, to Rodrique Ngowi and Patrick Whittle of the Associated Press (AP). We want them back in the ocean. A critically endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle being treated at the New England Aquarium hospital. Vanessa Kahn / New England AquariumUnfortunately, however, cases of cold-stunned turtles are rising.Around 2010, the aquariums rescuers would take in 38 to 40 turtles on average. Now, their annual average is just over 400 turtles, Kennedy tells the Independent. Most of those are Kemps ridleys, the worlds smallest sea turtle species, which is critically endangered.Experts say climate change is playing a role in this increase. Rising ocean temperatures push sea turtles north during warm months, which increases the chance of them getting stranded in the fall. According to NASA, 90 percent of global warming is happening in the oceans, rather than on land, as the oceans absorb excess heat.The warming of the Gulf of Maine over the years is now allowing more and more turtles to get into Cape Cod Bay, Kennedy tells the Independent.Normally the numbers werent very high years ago, he adds to the AP.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Animals, Atlantic Ocean, Climate Change, Conservation, Global Warming, Oceans, Reptiles, Sea Creatures, Turtles
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