MANTEO, N.C. — Cold temperatures and sea turtles do not mix. After the recent cold snap, there are at least 110 sea turtles currently being nursed to health at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island’s STAR (Sea Turtle Assistance and Rehabilitation) Center.
“When we do see the really drastic dips in temperature that really take the water temperature down fast, that’s when we start to see the higher numbers,” said Amber Hitt, manager of the STAR Center.
When temperatures drop to the 50s, sea turtles begin to be stunned by the cold and become lethargic. It also becomes difficult for them to breathe because it’s hard for them to hold their heads above water.
As they drift to shore, biologists with the National Park Service and volunteers with the Network for Endangered Sea Turtles (N.E.S.T.), rescue them and bring them to the STAR Center.
The turtles are examined closely and assigned to areas where they can warm up gradually. Some begin their journey in the Aquarium’s outdoor restrooms.
“We can only warm them up about 10 degrees a day,” Hitt said. “We keep the STAR Center around 68 to 70 degrees, so once they’re around that temperature, we can bring them inside and then we can swim test and get them back in water and really get them back into their rehab.”
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Hitt said the winter is the busiest time for the staff and volunteers here, with turtles being brought in, brought to health, and then sent back out to sea.
“We’ve had some staff coming in at about 2:30 in the morning, to get them on a boat that was headed out to the Gulf Stream by about 3:30 a.m., so we’ve been it’s been some long days,” she said.
Of course, winter isn’t over yet, so if you see a stranded sea turtle, you’re asked to call the N.E.S.T. hotline at 252-441-8622.
If you see a sea turtle inside the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, you can call the National Park Service at 252-216-6892.
Don’t try to push the turtle back into water or transport them yourself.
