Dozens of cold stunned sea turtles taken to Texas State Aquarium Wildlife Rescue Center
By Alexis Scott
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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (KRIS) — After the Coastal Bend experienced freezing temperatures for the first time this winter, they were not the only ones impacted by the weather. Our wildlife also felt the effects. On Wednesday, more than 30 cold stunned sea turtles were rescued and brought to the Texas State Aquarium Wildlife Rescue Center to rehabilitate. By Thursday morning, that number increased to more than 120.
“They’re meant to be in the ocean and that’s where we want them to be,” Jesse Gilbert, President & CEO of Texas State Aquarium said.
KRIS 6 News reporter Alexis Scott got a step by step look at what the sea turtles go through when they arrive.
“We admitted 24 patients on Tuesday night. So we are processing them through the warming center and getting them swim tested now. We know there are more coming into the aquarium later today,” Gilbert said.
Immediately, the sea turtles are examined by veterinary professionals to see if they have any visible injuries.
“They can get hit by a boat or even they can get predated on by a coyote,” Gilbert said. “So we look for any trauma like that. Is there anything that’s happened since it’s been cold stunned? Is there any old traumas?”
After they’re checked out, they head to the warming room where it’s 64 degrees Fahrenheit. Some are kept in the room a little more than 12 hours, before heading to the waters for a swim test. That’s where experts will check to see if they adapt properly.
When they’re going through the swim test for the first time, there are staff monitoring the sea turtles for about 15 minutes to make sure that process is going smoothly.
But this amount of work is not done alone. With the help of volunteers from more than a dozen organizations and agencies, at least 82 cold stunned sea turtles have been rescued since Tuesday across the Coastal Bend.
“The recovery of these animals is incredible” Gilbert said. “So they really are resilient, we just have to give them a little extra hand in these brutally cold winters.”
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