20 turtles were stunned from the cold off Cape Cod. Now they’re rehabbing in the Keys
Volunteer pilots flew 20 critically endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles to the Florida Keys Friday from Massachusetts.
The reptiles were cold-stunned by the frigid waters where they were found off Cape Cod. They were taken to the Turtle Hospital, a renowned institution for sea turtle rehabilitation located in the Middle Keys city of Marathon.
The pilots who flew the reptiles are part of a nonprofit called Turtles Fly Too, which has offices in both Boise, Idaho, and Key Largo.
When they were first rescued from the water off Cape Cod, the turtles were treated at the New England Aquarium in Boston, Massachusetts, said Andy Newman, spokesman with the Monroe County Tourist Development Council.
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Bette Zirkelbach, manager of the Turtle Hospital, said all of the turtles had a hypothermic reaction from prolonged exposures to the cold waters of New England.
“These sea turtles are at the Turtle Hospital in the Florida Keys to warm up. Their temperatures were extremely low — just like the tourists that come to the Keys to warm up,” said Zirkelbach. “The Kemp’s ridley is the most critically endangered sea turtle in the world, so it’s really important to help these little ones survive.
Each turtle has been identified and given a dedicated number. Turtle Hospital staff photographed them, documented their weight, took blood samples and placed them in a small pool to determine their swim strength and ability to come up for air, Zirkelbach said.
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They will spend the next several months at the Turtle Hospital, where they will be given antibiotics, fluids, vitamins and a healthy diet, according to the hospital. The water in their tanks is set at 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Zirkelbach said that when it is determined they are ready to go back into the wild, they will likely be released to the warmer waters off the central east coast of Florida.
This story was originally published December 13, 2021 at 8:00 PM.
