Armed with flashlights and the conviction to make a tangible difference in the recovery of an endangered species, volunteers began combing Cape Cod Bay beaches Sunday at 2 a.m. in search of the world's most endangered sea turtles. The strong, sustained northwest winds that had buffeted New England for over a day were bringing in a highly unusual bounty and challenge on the post-midnight high tide.
Bob Prescott, Executive Director of the Mass Audubon Sanctuary at Wellfleet Bay, said, "The winds were howling, and that is what we like to see as it pushes the turtles ashore". The hardy staff and volunteers of that group found a half dozen juvenile sea turtles by dawn. Their sense of urgency was motivated by a desire to beat predators to the stranded turtles and to retrieve them before the cold air temperatures lowered the animals' body temperatures to the dangerously low thirties.
The vast majority of these young sea turtles are of the Kemp-Ridley species which numbers only a few thousand adults worldwide. Hatched in the Caribbean, these young turtles hitch a ride north on the Gulf Stream and are normally found in waters south of New England. However, early each winter in November and December, some of these turtles are unable to migrate south fast enough. Being cold blooded, the turtles' body temperatures drop as the water temperatures plummet. Eventually, the turtles are nearly immobile in the water and are washed about by tides, currents and waves.
Throughout Sunday, more volunteers patrolled outer Cape Cod beaches from Eastham to Truro. By day's end, twenty-five endangered sea turtles had been found. Twenty-one were still alive and were being transported to the New England Aquarium for rewarming, stabilization and treatment.
At the Aquarium, veterinary and rescue staff triaged turtles and tried to make room for the new animals that joined twenty-six cold stunned turtles that had already arrived over the previous three weeks. The scene was equivalent to a big city, hospital emergency room on a busy Saturday night.
In the Aquarium Medical Center, the most critical turtle arrived with a body temperature of 37 degrees Fahrenheit. A fetal heart monitor showed that the serving platter sized reptile had a pulse of three beats per minute and no observable respirations. Aquarium staff administered drugs to boost the turtle's heartbeat and used a hand operated rebreathing bag to provide oxygen. The animal's prognosis was guarded.
By Sunday evening, seventy-eight sea turtles had been gathered in the three week old cold stunning season. Fifty-two of those animals had been brought to the Aquarium for medical care. Prescott noted that it was already the fourth highest total in the twenty years history of the effort despite the fact that the season was not half over. Last year, ninety-eight turtles were found by year's end. In fact, Prescott feels that the high numbers are a good sign indicating a rebound in the population. He and other biologists theorize that a certain percentage of the immature animals are expected to strand each year. Hatchling numbers in the Caribbean tripled from 1999 to 2000.
The rescued animals are treated by the New England Aquarium for low body temperatures, dehydration, pneumonia, other infections, injured flippers, and fractured shells. Their rehabilitation can range from a couple of months to a year. Many turtles after they are stabilized are transferred to other aquariums and wildlife rehabilitation facilities. Eventually, most of the turtles are released in to the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Visitors to the Aquarium, now Boston's most popular cultural attraction, help pay for this effort. A small part of admission fees is used to support the work of the Aquarium's Marine Animal Rescue Team. However, the increasing number of endangered turtles are exhausting the limited dollars available. Donations are needed to pay for expensive medical supplies. Private pilots are needed to fly stabilized turtles to other rehab facilities. Wildlife lovers can support this successful effort by adopting a turtle. They may call 617-973-5294 or e-mail [email protected]
The overnight high tide Monday will be at 3 a.m.. The weather conditions remain favorable for finding more turtles. While most of us sleep, there will be more volunteers on Cape Cod beaches trying to keep a species from going extinct.
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