Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
More than 200 cold-stunned sea turtles being treated by New England Aquarium in Quincy
“The majority of the turtles arrive with serious ailments such as pneumonia, dehydration, traumatic injuries, or sepsis.”
The New England Aquarium is treating more than 200 sea turtles that have washed up on Massachusetts shores in critical condition over the last week, stunned by the cold and hypothermic as temperatures have dropped.
The turtles are being cared for at the aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital in Quincy.
“With winds increasing and temperatures dropping, we have started to see more sea turtles enter the hospital in the last week,” Adam Kennedy, the aquarium’s Director of Rescue and Rehabilitation, said in a statement on Monday.
Hundreds of cold-stunned sea turtles wash up on Cape Cod beaches each year. Changing wind patterns and the drop in the water temperature cause many to become hypothermic, making it hard for them to navigate out of the bay.
Advertisement:
This year, the aquarium said staff and volunteers from the Massachusetts Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary have been walking the beaches along Cape Cod Bay, searching for the injured cold-stunned turtles, which are then taken to the dedicated hospital for them in Quincy.
According to the aquarium, 257 live sea turtles have been rescued and treated so far this season.
Of that number, 100 were rescued in the last two days and are being treated for “life-threatening” conditions from hypothermia and the inability to eat.
“The majority of the turtles arrive with serious ailments such as pneumonia, dehydration, traumatic injuries, or sepsis,” Melissa Joblon, director of animal health at the aquarium, said in a statement. “During the busy admit period, most turtles receive a standard fluid plan and antibiotics; however, we aim to tailor our treatment plans to each individual as soon as caseload allows.”
Advertisement:
The turtles rescued this season have included 214 critically endangered Kemp’s ridley turtles, 39 green turtles, and four loggerheads.
The aquarium said as its Quincy facility reaches full capacity, it is working with the National Oceanic Administration’s Fisheries Service and other nonprofits to help rehabilitate the animals at other locations. Last week, 30 of the cold-stunned turtles were transported to North Carolina to make room amid the influx of newly injured animals from the Cape.
The aquarium said on Tuesday it is launching a fundraising campaign for donors to support the sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation program. On Tuesday, the campaign will have donations matched dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000.
“The New England Aquarium has developed ways to streamline intakes of these large numbers of patients, allowing us to give the best possible care to all of the turtles that enter our hospital,” Kennedy said.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com