In the month of January, Gulf World Marine Institute (GWMI) received over 200 endangered sea turtles for cold stun rehabilitation. The marine turtles have been stranding due to unusual cold temperatures in St. Joe Bay. These reptiles are cold blooded; they cannot thermo regulate their body temperature. As a result, the cold temperatures are placing these animals in a hypothermic state and they become very weak. The majority of these animals were released back into the Gulf of Mexico in late January of this year. Several sea turtles required further rehabilitation due to various secondary illness such as pneumonia and impaction. Currently, there are two remaining sea turtles from these cold stun events that have been successfully rehabilitated and are now medically cleared to be released. Tomorrow, April 2nd, GWMI is releasing two juvenile green sea turtles at 10:00a.m. (central standard time) at Crooked Island Beach Access in Tyndall Air Force Base. GWMI would like to invite the public to view these sea turtles being released back to the Gulf of Mexico where the water temperature is warmer than the shallow bay. We encourage the media to cover this event to educate and promote conservation of these endangered species. We will establish an area where the media has a good vantage point and can film and photograph the release. Stephanie will be available for interviews or to provide any other information.
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