On February 19, 2021, the Texas State Aquarium conducted a rescue operation to save thousands of sea turtles from cold stun. (Screenshot)
The U.S. state of Texas was recently hit by a blizzard unlike anything seen in a century, and animal protection group Sea Turtle Inc. volunteers and wildlife conservationists rescued more than 2,600 frozen sea turtles from South Padre Island, the southernmost island in Texas, this week.
The Sea Turtle Inc. Facebook fan page mentioned that the ice storm led to the largest freezeout of sea turtles ever in south Texas.
Marine mammals such as dolphins and manatees can regulate their body temperature from the inside, but sea turtles are cold-blooded animals that rely on external heat sources to maintain their body temperature and may experience “cold fainting” due to low temperatures.
According to the U.S. National Park Service (National Park Service), sea turtles that are “cold stunned” become sluggish and lethargic, usually floating on the surface or washed ashore, which may lead to their death by predation, boat strikes or shock.
The BBC quoted the sea turtle company as saying that they have successfully rescued 4700 “cold stunned” sea turtles, and they have to take care of these frozen turtles on the island without electricity, a difficult task.
CNN reports that the nonprofit Sea Turtle Inc. is currently working to save the turtles from being washed ashore at hospitals and rehabilitation centers.
NBC reports that the number of rescued turtles is increasing due to the lack of heat, and the company is having to send too many to the South Padre Island Conference Center and Visitor Center.
However, entrepreneur Musk (Elon Musk) at this point in Time, his space exploration technology company (SpaceX) has a nearby facility, providing a large commercial generator.
Wendy Knight, executive director of Sea Turtle (Wendy Knight) 16, said in the film, “There are no words to express our gratitude, they reached out when we needed help the most.”
Although the generator provided most of the electricity needed, Knight said the cold snap caused the power outage to last so long that the heating and the screens in the reintroduction pool broke. To repair the pools, Turtle has now launched a fundraising campaign.
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