Cold-Stunned Sea Turtles In Florida Needed Rescue: This is What Happened

Cold-Stunned sea turtles in Florida needed rescue after they were caught in a cold snap in the ocean. In this episode of How to Protect the Ocean, we dive into the dramatic rescue of 17 sea turtles found cold-stunned off the coast of northern...
Cold-Stunned sea turtles in Florida needed rescue after they were caught in a cold snap in the ocean.
In this episode of How to Protect the Ocean, we dive into the dramatic rescue of 17 sea turtles found cold-stunned off the coast of northern Florida after an unexpected deep freeze. I’ll explain what cold-stunning is, how it affects sea turtles, and why sudden temperature drops are becoming more common. You’ll hear about the incredible efforts of the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in rehabilitating these turtles and helping them recover. Plus, we’ll explore how climate change is impacting sea turtle habitats and migrations—and I’ll share simple actions you can take to protect these amazing creatures and their ocean homes. Stay tuned for an inspiring story of resilience and conservation!
Link to Article: https://apnews.com/article/coldstunned-turtle-florida-4d47d028b94a750b2ca58784b13c1d39
Sign Up for Updates on the process: www.speakupforblue.com/oceanapp
Connect with Speak Up For Blue:
Website: https://bit.ly/3fOF3Wf
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3rIaJSG
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@speakupforblue
Twitter: https://bit.ly/3rHZxpc
YouTube: www.speakupforblue.com/youtube
01:00:00,291 --> 01:00:02,875
17 sea turtles were found off the coast
2
01:00:02,875 --> 01:00:05,250
of northern Florida after a deep freeze
3
01:00:05,250 --> 01:00:07,416
hit the north part of the state and these
4
01:00:07,416 --> 01:00:08,333
turtles needed help.
5
01:00:08,541 --> 01:00:10,291
They got rescued, they got added to the
6
01:00:10,291 --> 01:00:11,125
Logged Head Marine Life
7
01:00:11,125 --> 01:00:13,208
Center and they are on the mend.
8
01:00:13,208 --> 01:00:14,250
We're going to talk about what cold
9
01:00:14,250 --> 01:00:16,625
stunning is, how it happens and how these
10
01:00:16,625 --> 01:00:18,708
sea turtles recover from it on this
11
01:00:18,708 --> 01:00:19,500
episode of the How to
12
01:00:19,500 --> 01:00:20,250
Protect the Ocean podcast.
13
01:00:20,875 --> 01:00:21,583
Let's start the show.
14
01:00:24,625 --> 01:00:25,791
Hey everybody, welcome back to another
15
01:00:25,791 --> 01:00:26,875
exciting episode of the How
16
01:00:26,875 --> 01:00:27,791
to Protect the Ocean podcast.
17
01:00:27,833 --> 01:00:29,125
I'm your host, Andrew Lewin and this is
18
01:00:29,125 --> 01:00:30,166
the podcast where you find out what's
19
01:00:30,166 --> 01:00:31,583
happening with the ocean, how you can
20
01:00:31,583 --> 01:00:32,791
speak up for the ocean and what you can
21
01:00:32,791 --> 01:00:33,916
do to live for a better
22
01:00:33,916 --> 01:00:35,833
ocean by taking action.
23
01:00:35,833 --> 01:00:37,041
And on today's episode, we're going to be
24
01:00:37,041 --> 01:00:39,000
talking about sea turtles and cold
25
01:00:39,000 --> 01:00:40,666
stunning and what that is, how it affects
26
01:00:40,666 --> 01:00:43,083
the sea turtles and how they are rescued
27
01:00:43,083 --> 01:00:44,666
and what they need to do to go put them
28
01:00:44,666 --> 01:00:46,750
back into the ocean.
29
01:00:47,041 --> 01:00:48,041
We're going to talk all about that.
30
01:00:48,041 --> 01:00:49,166
But before we do, if this is your first
31
01:00:49,166 --> 01:00:50,875
time here, you can get all the
32
01:00:50,875 --> 01:00:52,416
information you need to learn how to
33
01:00:52,416 --> 01:00:54,208
protect the ocean by going to our
34
01:00:54,208 --> 01:00:56,333
website, speakupforblue.com.
35
01:00:56,416 --> 01:00:58,333
And if you want that information going to
36
01:00:58,333 --> 01:01:00,666
your inbox, you can get it at
37
01:01:00,666 --> 01:01:02,791
speakupforblue.com forward slash
38
01:01:02,791 --> 01:01:04,708
newsletter, sign up for the email.
39
01:01:05,000 --> 01:01:06,333
It'll come to you Monday and Friday, 8
40
01:01:06,333 --> 01:01:07,541
a.m. Eastern and you get
41
01:01:07,541 --> 01:01:08,458
to enjoy that information.
42
01:01:08,666 --> 01:01:09,916
Let's get back to the show.
43
01:01:10,375 --> 01:01:11,250
We're talking sea turtles.
44
01:01:11,708 --> 01:01:13,583
This happens every once in a while.
45
01:01:13,583 --> 01:01:14,791
Sea turtles get cold stunned.
46
01:01:15,208 --> 01:01:16,875
What is a cold stun?
47
01:01:16,875 --> 01:01:18,666
Well, essentially sea turtles are
48
01:01:18,666 --> 01:01:20,958
susceptible to a condition known as cold
49
01:01:20,958 --> 01:01:22,458
stunning, which occurs when they're
50
01:01:22,458 --> 01:01:23,791
exposed to cold water temperatures
51
01:01:23,791 --> 01:01:25,833
leading to hypothermia and immobility.
52
01:01:26,250 --> 01:01:28,000
This phenomenon has been documented in
53
01:01:28,000 --> 01:01:29,541
various regions, particularly during
54
01:01:29,541 --> 01:01:31,791
sudden cold spells, which the northern
55
01:01:31,791 --> 01:01:33,333
part of Florida received
56
01:01:33,333 --> 01:01:35,000
this with the past week.
57
01:01:35,458 --> 01:01:36,375
It was kind of crazy.
58
01:01:36,833 --> 01:01:38,250
A lot of people in northern Florida and
59
01:01:38,250 --> 01:01:40,500
Georgia and southern part of Georgia had
60
01:01:40,500 --> 01:01:43,000
received about two inches of snow, which
61
01:01:43,000 --> 01:01:45,750
doesn't happen in Georgia or Florida.
62
01:01:46,291 --> 01:01:46,791
Really interesting
63
01:01:46,791 --> 01:01:47,958
phenomenon that happened.
64
01:01:47,958 --> 01:01:49,375
Although there are people who really
65
01:01:49,375 --> 01:01:51,375
enjoyed the snow and enjoyed doing what
66
01:01:51,375 --> 01:01:53,291
they needed to do to have some fun.
67
01:01:53,291 --> 01:01:55,208
Some animals did not enjoy it so much.
68
01:01:55,291 --> 01:01:56,708
And these 17 sea turtles that were
69
01:01:56,708 --> 01:01:59,291
rescued off the coast of St. Augustine,
70
01:01:59,333 --> 01:02:01,666
Florida were brought to the loggerhead
71
01:02:01,666 --> 01:02:03,416
marine life center in order to
72
01:02:03,416 --> 01:02:04,333
rehabilitate before
73
01:02:04,333 --> 01:02:05,583
going back to the ocean.
74
01:02:05,958 --> 01:02:07,291
These sea turtles were found either on
75
01:02:07,291 --> 01:02:08,958
the coastline where they
76
01:02:08,958 --> 01:02:10,208
were just kind of frozen.
77
01:02:10,208 --> 01:02:11,625
They're not frozen in terms of like
78
01:02:11,625 --> 01:02:13,541
icicles, but they were just frozen in
79
01:02:13,541 --> 01:02:14,458
terms of they couldn't move.
80
01:02:14,458 --> 01:02:14,875
They were mobile.
81
01:02:15,166 --> 01:02:16,291
They weren't feeling well.
82
01:02:16,291 --> 01:02:17,416
They just got frozen.
83
01:02:17,416 --> 01:02:19,708
These are still animals that have to be
84
01:02:19,708 --> 01:02:20,458
heated by the water
85
01:02:20,458 --> 01:02:21,458
surrounding to be helped.
86
01:02:21,750 --> 01:02:24,000
And so this cold water that was hit the
87
01:02:24,000 --> 01:02:25,333
ocean really quickly, because if it's
88
01:02:25,333 --> 01:02:27,750
cold on land, it's cold in the water and
89
01:02:27,750 --> 01:02:29,625
they just got stunned by it.
90
01:02:29,750 --> 01:02:31,041
Literally stunned along the coastline.
91
01:02:31,250 --> 01:02:32,875
Some sea turtles were floating
92
01:02:32,875 --> 01:02:34,458
along the coast in the water.
93
01:02:34,458 --> 01:02:37,000
They were rescued as well, brought to the
94
01:02:37,000 --> 01:02:37,791
loggerhead marine life
95
01:02:37,791 --> 01:02:39,375
center and they were helped.
96
01:02:39,583 --> 01:02:41,208
So initially what happens when they get
97
01:02:41,208 --> 01:02:42,791
cold, stunned, they go into like a
98
01:02:42,791 --> 01:02:44,083
hypothermic state, right?
99
01:02:44,083 --> 01:02:45,500
So they become lethargic.
100
01:02:45,500 --> 01:02:46,541
They are unable to swim
101
01:02:46,541 --> 01:02:48,458
properly and they can risk death.
102
01:02:48,500 --> 01:02:50,750
They can risk like sinking down and not
103
01:02:50,750 --> 01:02:51,833
being able to breathe,
104
01:02:51,833 --> 01:02:52,916
which is not helpful, right?
105
01:02:53,083 --> 01:02:54,791
Veterinarians and animal rescue teams
106
01:02:54,791 --> 01:02:56,916
follow a specific and specialized
107
01:02:56,916 --> 01:02:58,875
treatment process to rehabilitate them.
108
01:02:59,125 --> 01:03:00,250
So the first is the initial
109
01:03:00,250 --> 01:03:01,000
assessment and stabilization.
110
01:03:01,000 --> 01:03:03,166
So they look at the physical examination.
111
01:03:03,666 --> 01:03:05,416
So vets check for injuries, infections,
112
01:03:05,666 --> 01:03:08,291
dehydration and other health concerns.
113
01:03:08,541 --> 01:03:09,666
They look for vital signs.
114
01:03:10,083 --> 01:03:11,250
So they'll say like they'll assess the
115
01:03:11,250 --> 01:03:12,791
turtle's body temperature, their heart
116
01:03:12,791 --> 01:03:14,083
rate, their respiration.
117
01:03:14,625 --> 01:03:16,208
They'll look to do a warming process.
118
01:03:16,333 --> 01:03:18,375
So they'll start to warm these animals up
119
01:03:18,375 --> 01:03:20,958
one to two degrees Fahrenheit or 0.5 to
120
01:03:20,958 --> 01:03:22,625
one degrees Celsius per day.
121
01:03:22,791 --> 01:03:24,291
So they don't prevent a shock because you
122
01:03:24,291 --> 01:03:26,000
can't go from heat to cold.
123
01:03:26,000 --> 01:03:27,875
We know that shocks them and the cold
124
01:03:27,875 --> 01:03:29,000
right back to heat again.
125
01:03:29,000 --> 01:03:30,916
You got to do that over a number of day
126
01:03:30,916 --> 01:03:32,500
process and that can take a long time.
127
01:03:32,500 --> 01:03:34,666
So it's done in a controlled indoor pools
128
01:03:34,666 --> 01:03:36,333
and dry holding areas.
129
01:03:36,333 --> 01:03:37,833
So the medical treatment, sometimes they
130
01:03:37,833 --> 01:03:40,000
require fluids and electrolytes because
131
01:03:40,000 --> 01:03:41,791
dehydrated turtles will receive these
132
01:03:41,791 --> 01:03:44,041
through intravenous or subcutaneous
133
01:03:44,041 --> 01:03:46,166
injections to restore hydration.
134
01:03:46,291 --> 01:03:49,416
And then there's antibiotics and
135
01:03:49,416 --> 01:03:50,875
medications that are given if they have
136
01:03:50,875 --> 01:03:53,125
infections, pneumonia or any other types
137
01:03:53,125 --> 01:03:55,416
of injuries, they receive antibiotics or
138
01:03:55,416 --> 01:03:57,166
other medications that will treat those.
139
01:03:57,583 --> 01:03:58,250
Some of them will go
140
01:03:58,250 --> 01:03:59,500
through oxygen therapy.
141
01:03:59,750 --> 01:04:01,208
So some of the turtles with respiratory
142
01:04:01,208 --> 01:04:02,333
distress will be given
143
01:04:02,333 --> 01:04:04,541
oxygen support if necessary.
144
01:04:05,000 --> 01:04:05,291
And then the
145
01:04:05,291 --> 01:04:07,125
rehabilitation takes some times.
146
01:04:07,125 --> 01:04:09,000
There's gradual water reintroduction.
147
01:04:09,208 --> 01:04:10,958
So once stable, the turtles will be
148
01:04:10,958 --> 01:04:13,125
placed in shallow, warm water to regain
149
01:04:13,125 --> 01:04:14,416
some of that muscle strength.
150
01:04:14,875 --> 01:04:17,250
Then they'll be monitored as they ensure
151
01:04:17,250 --> 01:04:19,000
that they can swim properly and dive
152
01:04:19,000 --> 01:04:20,583
properly because that's an important part
153
01:04:20,583 --> 01:04:21,708
of their life history
154
01:04:21,708 --> 01:04:22,500
and their life cycle.
155
01:04:22,750 --> 01:04:23,916
And then the behavior assessments, the
156
01:04:23,916 --> 01:04:25,333
look at the turtles, they must show that
157
01:04:25,333 --> 01:04:27,208
they have normal behaviors like diving,
158
01:04:27,208 --> 01:04:28,083
eating and responding to
159
01:04:28,083 --> 01:04:30,083
stimuli before they are released.
160
01:04:30,541 --> 01:04:32,833
And once they're released back into the
161
01:04:32,833 --> 01:04:34,416
wild, they'll make sure they have a
162
01:04:34,416 --> 01:04:35,458
health care clearance.
163
01:04:35,791 --> 01:04:37,291
So they have the only healthy, strong
164
01:04:37,291 --> 01:04:39,208
turtles are released showing all this
165
01:04:39,208 --> 01:04:39,875
stuff that we just
166
01:04:39,875 --> 01:04:40,625
talked about previously.
167
01:04:40,958 --> 01:04:41,666
So they can go back
168
01:04:41,666 --> 01:04:42,875
and warm and safe waters.
169
01:04:43,041 --> 01:04:44,541
They're going to get tagged and they're
170
01:04:44,541 --> 01:04:44,916
going to get tracked.
171
01:04:45,250 --> 01:04:46,916
So some turtles will receive satellite
172
01:04:46,916 --> 01:04:49,125
and flipper tags to help scientists
173
01:04:49,125 --> 01:04:50,083
monitor their movements
174
01:04:50,083 --> 01:04:51,875
and survival post release.
175
01:04:52,166 --> 01:04:54,041
I did an episode on this a while ago, a
176
01:04:54,041 --> 01:04:55,041
link to it in the show notes.
177
01:04:55,541 --> 01:04:57,333
But I talked to Dr. Nathan Robinson, who
178
01:04:57,333 --> 01:04:58,625
did a study just off the coast of Rhode
179
01:04:58,625 --> 01:04:59,875
Island with cold sun turtles.
180
01:05:00,250 --> 01:05:02,083
And they noticed that with the tracking,
181
01:05:02,083 --> 01:05:03,083
they could actually tell
182
01:05:03,083 --> 01:05:04,208
where these turtles go.
183
01:05:04,541 --> 01:05:05,791
And if they look like they're still in
184
01:05:05,791 --> 01:05:07,291
distress, they can go out, find these
185
01:05:07,291 --> 01:05:08,875
turtles, bring them back.
186
01:05:09,250 --> 01:05:09,708
Although it doesn't
187
01:05:09,708 --> 01:05:11,041
happen often, it can happen.
188
01:05:11,083 --> 01:05:12,458
And it's always good to get the turtle
189
01:05:12,458 --> 01:05:14,750
back in, reassess it, put it back through
190
01:05:14,750 --> 01:05:16,583
the rehabilitation process and determine
191
01:05:16,583 --> 01:05:18,041
whether and if it can be
192
01:05:18,041 --> 01:05:19,875
released at a later date.
193
01:05:19,875 --> 01:05:21,166
And I think that's really important.
194
01:05:21,625 --> 01:05:22,333
They'll be careful
195
01:05:22,333 --> 01:05:23,916
selection of the release location.
196
01:05:24,250 --> 01:05:25,750
So obviously turtles are released in
197
01:05:25,750 --> 01:05:26,958
warmer waters to prevent
198
01:05:26,958 --> 01:05:28,083
another cold stunning event.
199
01:05:28,666 --> 01:05:29,291
I know in Florida,
200
01:05:29,500 --> 01:05:30,625
there's not a lot of coal.
201
01:05:30,625 --> 01:05:32,416
I know Florida doesn't really get a lot
202
01:05:32,416 --> 01:05:34,416
of cold spells, but with this winter, you
203
01:05:34,416 --> 01:05:36,333
don't really know what's going to happen.
204
01:05:36,625 --> 01:05:38,541
This could be a big problem for them.
205
01:05:38,583 --> 01:05:40,708
And so if another cold stunning happens
206
01:05:40,708 --> 01:05:42,208
or you need to get another cold spell, a
207
01:05:42,208 --> 01:05:43,583
polar vortex comes down again.
208
01:05:43,583 --> 01:05:44,458
We don't want these turtles
209
01:05:44,458 --> 01:05:45,625
to go through a deep freeze.
210
01:05:45,625 --> 01:05:46,750
So knowing where they are is really
211
01:05:46,750 --> 01:05:48,125
important, but also releasing them maybe
212
01:05:48,125 --> 01:05:49,500
a little bit more south where they can
213
01:05:49,500 --> 01:05:50,625
take a different travel plan.
214
01:05:50,625 --> 01:05:52,166
That would be really important.
215
01:05:52,250 --> 01:05:53,708
That's how the rehabilitation happens.
216
01:05:54,750 --> 01:05:55,750
It's a long process.
217
01:05:55,750 --> 01:05:57,375
It could take up to a couple of weeks,
218
01:05:57,833 --> 01:05:58,541
maybe in three, four
219
01:05:58,541 --> 01:05:59,291
weeks, maybe a month.
220
01:05:59,291 --> 01:06:01,166
There may be some turtles that may not be
221
01:06:01,166 --> 01:06:02,500
ready for quite some time
222
01:06:02,500 --> 01:06:04,333
to be released, if at all.
223
01:06:04,541 --> 01:06:05,541
That's the assessment
224
01:06:05,541 --> 01:06:06,250
of the veterinarians.
225
01:06:06,375 --> 01:06:07,375
That's the assessment of
226
01:06:07,375 --> 01:06:08,375
the healthcare providers.
227
01:06:08,625 --> 01:06:10,041
And I know the Logged Marine Life Center
228
01:06:10,041 --> 01:06:12,416
has done an excellent job in the past of
229
01:06:12,416 --> 01:06:13,666
helping these turtles out.
230
01:06:13,666 --> 01:06:15,500
And they're all about making sure that
231
01:06:15,500 --> 01:06:17,708
sea turtles are not only healthy and
232
01:06:17,708 --> 01:06:18,625
safe, but they're
233
01:06:18,625 --> 01:06:20,000
released in the proper areas.
234
01:06:20,000 --> 01:06:21,458
I'm going to put a bunch of organizations
235
01:06:21,458 --> 01:06:22,500
in the past that have
236
01:06:22,500 --> 01:06:23,833
helped with this type of stuff.
237
01:06:24,250 --> 01:06:25,666
Obviously, the Logged Marine Life Center
238
01:06:25,666 --> 01:06:26,583
is at the top of that.
239
01:06:26,791 --> 01:06:27,625
The New England Aquarium
240
01:06:27,625 --> 01:06:28,625
in Massachusetts helps.
241
01:06:29,000 --> 01:06:29,791
The Texas State
242
01:06:29,791 --> 01:06:31,000
Aquarium will also be involved.
243
01:06:31,041 --> 01:06:33,041
Sea Turtle Inc. in Texas is also involved
244
01:06:33,041 --> 01:06:34,625
in North Carolina Aquariums for Sea
245
01:06:34,625 --> 01:06:35,458
Turtle Assistant and
246
01:06:35,458 --> 01:06:36,500
Rehabilitation Center.
247
01:06:36,791 --> 01:06:39,250
Also known as STAR is also involved in
248
01:06:39,250 --> 01:06:41,458
these processes in different parts along
249
01:06:41,458 --> 01:06:43,166
the East Coast because we see this every
250
01:06:43,166 --> 01:06:44,458
once in a while along the East Coast,
251
01:06:44,458 --> 01:06:46,125
depending on where these cold snaps hit.
252
01:06:46,500 --> 01:06:47,583
Obviously, if you think of Massachusetts,
253
01:06:47,875 --> 01:06:49,875
if these sea turtles don't clear certain
254
01:06:49,875 --> 01:06:51,500
areas, they may have a
255
01:06:51,500 --> 01:06:52,583
problem with cold stunning.
256
01:06:52,583 --> 01:06:53,083
And we obviously
257
01:06:53,083 --> 01:06:54,541
don't want that to happen.
258
01:06:54,833 --> 01:06:56,125
Sea turtles are endangered species.
259
01:06:56,416 --> 01:06:57,166
They need to be protected.
260
01:06:57,583 --> 01:06:59,000
All seven species are endangered.
261
01:06:59,625 --> 01:07:00,916
Definitely need that protection.
262
01:07:01,416 --> 01:07:02,458
Marine protected areas can help.
263
01:07:02,916 --> 01:07:04,291
Tracking these sea turtles can help and
264
01:07:04,291 --> 01:07:05,333
also monitoring these
265
01:07:05,333 --> 01:07:06,583
cold snaps where they are.
266
01:07:06,875 --> 01:07:08,208
Sometimes you may not know they're in the
267
01:07:08,208 --> 01:07:10,000
ocean because it doesn't hit on land and
268
01:07:10,000 --> 01:07:11,541
being able to find where these sea
269
01:07:11,541 --> 01:07:14,125
turtles are or where the cold snaps are
270
01:07:14,125 --> 01:07:16,500
and monitor those situations to find more
271
01:07:16,500 --> 01:07:17,666
would be very helpful.
272
01:07:18,125 --> 01:07:19,125
That's it for today's episode.
273
01:07:19,125 --> 01:07:20,500
I want to give you this episode because I
274
01:07:20,500 --> 01:07:21,833
think it's really important to see
275
01:07:21,833 --> 01:07:24,291
hardworking people, volunteers, the
276
01:07:24,291 --> 01:07:25,750
Logged Marine Life Center in this
277
01:07:25,750 --> 01:07:26,583
situation, really
278
01:07:26,583 --> 01:07:27,750
helping out these sea turtles.
279
01:07:28,125 --> 01:07:30,125
I want to give a shout out to them and
280
01:07:30,125 --> 01:07:31,916
thank them for doing that as well as all
281
01:07:31,916 --> 01:07:33,625
the other people who involved in helping
282
01:07:33,625 --> 01:07:36,000
cold sun turtles in Texas, in
283
01:07:36,000 --> 01:07:37,375
Massachusetts and North
284
01:07:37,375 --> 01:07:39,333
Carolina and all over the coastline.
285
01:07:39,333 --> 01:07:39,833
It's really helpful
286
01:07:39,833 --> 01:07:40,750
that people are there.
287
01:07:41,000 --> 01:07:42,583
It saves these species and we need every
288
01:07:42,583 --> 01:07:44,958
single individual of these species to be
289
01:07:44,958 --> 01:07:46,208
saved as much as possible
290
01:07:46,208 --> 01:07:47,625
because they go through enough.
291
01:07:47,875 --> 01:07:48,875
That's it for today's episode.
292
01:07:48,875 --> 01:07:50,041
If you have any questions or comment, put
293
01:07:50,041 --> 01:07:51,500
them in the comments below.
294
01:07:51,500 --> 01:07:53,041
If you're on YouTube or you're watching
295
01:07:53,041 --> 01:07:54,916
this on Spotify or if you're listening to
296
01:07:54,916 --> 01:07:56,250
this on your favorite podcast app, you
297
01:07:56,250 --> 01:07:57,583
can hit me up on Instagram.
298
01:07:57,666 --> 01:08:02,458
That's it for today's episode.