Padre Island National Seashore Biologist Cynthia Rubio with two cold-stunned sea turtles found on Dec. 12, 2014. Courtesy photo
Despite the hot October weather, it won’t be long before bayside sea turtles will be facing lethally cold temperatures. Padre Island National Seashore rangers are preparing before the cold by holding a free lecture and training session for volunteers interested in helping save these endangered creatures from winter weather conditions.
Cold stunning occurs when freezing air temperatures cause
sea turtles to become immobilized and float to the surface. If they are not found and brought to a rehabilitation facility quickly, they could die.
Last winter was especially hazardous for these reptiles. In January, rangers released 209 turtles that had been rescued and rehabilitated. Most were found in the colder bay waters and released into the warmer waters of the Gulf. It was the first of several releases with more than 700 turtles rescued throughout the winter.
Cold stunning used to happen only every few years.
“These cold stunning events are becoming almost annual,” said Donna Shaver, chief of the National Seashore Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery. “When they happen, we have to go out there and find the turtles, rescue them and bring them into rehab.”
Certain procedures must be followed to increase the turtles’ chances of survival, which is where the training comes in.
Anyone wanting to volunteer to rescue and document cold stunned sea turtles in the Coastal Bend are invited to attend the training from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 17 at the Seashore Learning Center Gymnasium, 15801 SPID, Corpus Christi.
Staff will describe how the public and volunteers can help with local efforts to rescue and document cold stunned turtles.
For more information, call the Padre Island National Seashore Sea Turtle Laboratory at 361-949-8173, extension 268.
