Sea Turtles in North Carolina: Cold and Getting a Lift to Florida

The cold-stunned sea turtles that end up stranded on North Carolina beaches each year landed in much higher numbers this year: At least 1,000, which is the most in recent memory by at least one person's estimate, had hypothermia-like symptoms.

Boating conditions were also rough, so volunteers and scientists did not convey the turtles further on their journey via boat.

But a tag-team did drive the turtles from North Carolina to northern Florida. "We drove the turtles to the border with South Carolina, and their team picked them up," Matthew Godfrey, a sea turtle biologist in North Carolina, said in an article in the St. Augustine Record."They drove to the border with Georgia, and the Georgia team picked them up and drove them across the border into the northern part of Florida."

In this way, about 300 turtles were released into surf at a state park near St. Augustine, earlier this month.
There are still hundreds more of the cold-stunned sea turtles, waiting in North Carolina aquariums, as confirmed by Erin Weeks at the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, in the article. Last week on Friday and Tuesday, 166 and 109 were moved, respectively.

"So it's likely this team effort is not over yet," Weeks noted in the article.

The rescue was led by the North Carolina Wildlife Commission. Most of the turtles are young green sea turtles, which are federally endangered. Some loggerhead and Kemp's ridley turtles are also among those rescued.

Over 100 'Cold-Stunned' Sea Turtles Rescued From Cape Cod Shores

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