OT: Turtle Rescue

[Theagenes]

I thought I would share a pretty cool experience I recently had. Another archaeologist and I were doing some work at Canaveral National Seashore on Mosquito Lagoon during that bad freeze a couple of weeks ago. Some of you might have heard on the news about how the drop in water temperature around Florida left all of the sea turtles (a threatened species) stunned and helpless for days. Thousands of turtles were rescued over the course of about ten days by rangers, fish and wildlife officers and hundreds of volunteers.

 

Well we finished our project a couple of days early so we were able to help join in the rescue effort at Canaveral. Below is my colleague and me surrounded by turtles (gotta love the waders).

 

 

 

 

 

We went out with the rangers and helped find turtles and load them on the boats. There were dozens of them around the lagoon, floating unconscious on sand bars or the sea grass. Once we had a full boat we brought them back the staging area near the ranger station. That’s me on the right.

 

 

 

 

Here’s a giant 300 lb loggerhead that about killed my back. It had me popping Aleve for days afterward.

 

 

[Theagenes]

Once they were unloaded, the turtles were numbered, measured, and examined. Some were likely DOA (though it’s hard to tell) and some had their eyes pecked out by sea gulls, but most were in fairly good shape and a few even started to come around once they were out of the cold water. That’s me with the suspenders.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Theagenes]

Next, the turtles were loaded in trucks and sent to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge where they had turned a large warehouse into a turtle processing center. It was a madhouse – hundreds of turtles were going through there every day. There they were examined again, the dead ones were removed, sick ones quarantined, and healthy ones were packed into large moving vans and shipped to various aquariums around the state like Sea World and Marineland.

 

 

 

 

Sadly, there were quite a few that didn’t make it, like the ones in front of me in this picture. I’ve heard death rates were around 10-30% but I don’t know how accurate that is. There are probably better numbers out there now.

 

 

 

 

But, without humans pitching in and helping, almost none of them would have made it and it would have devastated an already threatened species. Literally thousands of turtles were saved statewide and it was an amazing experience to be a part of.

 

 

 

 

[MagnetoWasRight]

Wow...nice work. That must have been a great feeling, knowing you saved as many as you did.

[LovinTheSurfer]

(thumbs u

people like you make this world a better place

[BlowUpTheMoon]

Great work! (thumbs u

[sckao]

[TheWatcher]

 

What are those things growing/attached to their shells? Wonderful job helping to rescue them, btw

[Theagenes]

Thanks guys. I do love my job - it's always an adventure. Right now I'm freezing my azz off in Kentucky surveying a new trail at Mammoth Cave. Your federal tax dollars at work.

 

 

 

[Marvelfangirl]

Me like turtles

Save the Turtles

[Theagenes]

 

What are those things growing/attached to their shells? Wonderful job helping to rescue them, btw

 

Barnacles. Some of them had tumors as well, from some virus like turtle-herpes. We had to separate those from the others.

[Mr. Zipper]

You are good peeps, Jeff. (thumbs u

[TheAvenger80]

Great job! poor guys It's nice to see people helping out animals. I have 2 red-eared sliders and they're great.

[LovinTheSurfer]

there are tons and tons of painted turtles that are outside my bedroom window in the summer, counted around 35 of them or so one sunny day. I live on the shore of the Concord River in MA, lots and lots of wildlife around those parts

[143ksk]

Thank you!

[c-mack]

dude!! a truck full of turtles is super badass....

 

 

 

[Beau]

[whisp]

Nice Job.

 

Turtles are cool.

[Green]

[thehumantorch]

Very cool. Something to be proud of.