Gulf World Marine Institute in Panama City is treating 17 cold-stunned Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles from the New England Aquarium in Quincy, Massachusetts.
The sea turtles were flown on Saturday by a private plane from Massachusetts to Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, and then were immediately transported to Gulf World for rehabilitation.
As reptiles, sea turtles can become cold- stunned when the temperatures in shallows bays and estuaries drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit which routinely starts to occur in late October to early November each year in the Northeast, or may happen for short times even in Florida during mid-winter.
Due to the large number of stranded turtles that are typically admitted for medical treatment to the New England Aquarium, they reach out to other members of the stranding network for assistance.
The strategy is to place as many animals as possible in facilities in the Southern US to relieve the
immediate response area and create vacancies for additional incoming sea turtles in New England.
In the upcoming weeks, Gulf World will continue rehabilitating these animals until they are well enough to be released.
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