- KR Bharat
- 2025-12-16
24 Endangered Sea Turtles Recovering in Florida After Cold-Stunning off Cape Cod
Juno Beach: Twenty-four endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are undergoing rehabilitation in Florida after being cold-stunned in the frigid waters off Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
The turtles, suffering from frostbite, pneumonia and abrasions, were transported to the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach on December 9 with the help of nonprofit organisation LightHawk. They are expected to remain under intensive care until spring, when they will be released back into the Atlantic Ocean, officials said.
Heather Barron, chief science officer and veterinarian at Loggerhead, said the turtles are being treated for cold stunning — a condition caused by exposure to extremely low water temperatures that leaves cold-blooded sea turtles lethargic and immobile. Treatment includes antibiotics, fluids and nebulisation to support lung function.
Kemp’s ridley, loggerhead and green sea turtles are commonly affected by cold stunning. The species migrates north during summer, but many become trapped while heading south around the curved peninsula of Cape Cod. As ocean temperatures drop, the turtles become hypothermic and wash ashore, where volunteers rescue them.
Some of the turtles were transferred to Florida to ease overcrowding at the New England Aquarium, which has treated hundreds of cold-stunned turtles this season. According to officials, 472 hypothermic turtles have been treated since the phenomenon began on November 7.
The rescue and rehabilitation effort is coordinated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service, which helps transfer turtles to specialised facilities across the country.
“These turtles are critically ill when they arrive and require extensive treatment,” Barron said, adding that staff at Loggerhead name incoming groups based on themes — with this group inspired by Greek mythology.
