Sea Turtles & Cold Stun RESCUE! Please Read :-)

Gumbo Limbo - We need your help!

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

The Rehabilitation Center is running low on necessary supplies due to the “Cold Stunned” turtle emergency.
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The turtles are falling victim to the cold weather. As reptiles, they don’t generate their own body heat, so when the temperature drops outside and in the water, so do their body temperatures. When their body temperatures fall below 60 degrees, they become immobilized and tend to float to the surface. The cold weather puts sea turtles in all sorts of trouble: On top of making them lethargic, it suppresses their immune systems, which makes them susceptible to pneumonia and other diseases. Worse, when turtles go into cold shock, they float to the surface, which places them at risk of being struck by boats.

Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Inc. is the non-profit arm that is funding the Rehabilitation Center. Any donation level will help with this marine turtle emergency. Every turtle we are able to save is increasing the nesting population in the next five to fifteen years.

We are in need of funds for medical supplies to care for the turtles. As of Monday, January 11, 2010 we have 51 turtles in a facility originally designated to house 7 sick or injured turtles.

The Center is rapidly going through towels and other medical supplies. Please Call 561-391-8110 to help these turtles make a successful recovery.

Supply List:
Laundry Detergent [HeV]
Antibacterial Dish Soap
Hand Sanitizer
Hand soap
Betadine
Paper Towels
Bath Towels
13 gal Trash Bags
Gallon and sandwich Ziploc Bags
Surgical Tools (ask us)
Disposable Tupperware
Dental piks [from a dentist or Veterinary office]
Fine point sharpies
Disposal gloves [S, M&L]
Gauze pads
Folders with prongs on both sides
Gift Cards (Grocery, Wal-Mart, Office Depot, Hardware Stores)

Please Donate Today Call 561-391-8110 to help

We received 40 cold stunned turtles at the Barrier Island Center near Sebastian and were are filled to capacity. As I was leaving the facility another truck load of turtles arrived. They had to be routed to another rehab facility

Amazing how ALL the facilities are pitching in Sea World took in a bunch as well.

Cold snap clouds contain a silver lining



Even though the recent cold snap brought many cold-stunned sea turtles into shallow waters and onto shorelines across the state, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and its many partners saved the majority of the animals from certain death.

Frigid water temperatures stunned thousands of sea turtles throughout the state. If left unaided, most of these turtles would not have survived. Many would have been attacked by predators, been hit by boats or simply drowned. Rescuers worked feverishly for more than a week to save the immobilized animals, rescuing and eventually releasing nearly 80 percent of the affected sea turtles. FWC biologists are confident that most of the sea turtles will not suffer long-term impacts from the stunning event.

Additional good news is emerging from those who have been working diligently to save the animals. Rescue of the sea turtles by the FWC and its many partners could prove beneficial to the animals in the long term.

“We’ve been able to tag many more turtles than ever before, which enables us to learn about their biology,” said Dr. Blair Witherington, FWC biologist. “It’s been a great opportunity for data collection; it’s unprecedented to have access to so many turtles at one time.”

The majority of the sea turtles affected by the cold weather are green turtles, a federally listed endangered species. Other species include Kemp’s Ridley and hawksbill, both endangered, and the loggerhead, a threatened species. Scientists will use genetic information obtained from the turtles to better understand where these turtles originally hatched. Biologists also will collect valuable information on size, geographic distribution, health status and other factors. Tags on released turtles will provide biologists with useful information for years to come, including where they travel and their rate of survival.

The sea turtles were taken to staging areas, where biologists assessed their conditions. Metal tags were placed on the sea turtles’ front flippers and various data were obtained. From there, the sea turtles were either transported to rehabilitation facilities or returned to the sea if they were healthy and water conditions were suitable.

“The tremendous effort put forth by all of our partners, volunteers and FWC staff has been a life-saver for sea turtles,” said FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto. “I’m extremely proud to be associated with this agency and all the wonderful organizations and people who stepped up in this time of need. With the enormous outpouring of help on this, together we managed to take a potentially tragic situation and turn it into a win-win for science and most importantly, for sea turtles.”

Private and corporate citizens alike contributed to the effort, with many businesses providing necessary equipment and services at little or no cost.

“As a global company headquartered in Florida, we are especially aware of the need to protect all of Florida’s natural resources, so this was an easy decision to provide Ryder trucks for transporting these animals,” said Rich Mohr, director of rental for Ryder in Miami. “We very much appreciated the opportunity to assist with the conservation of the sea turtle.”

Most of the healthy turtles have been released back into the ocean where the water conditions are now 60 degrees or warmer. In the Panhandle this means transporting the sea turtles out eight to 13 miles.

“It is best to get them back into their marine habitat as soon as logistics and weather permit,” Witherington said. “They are better off in bay and lagoon waters than in the temporary holding tanks or small pools at rehab facilities.”

For more information about the efforts of the FWC and partners to save the cold-stunned turtles, go to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

We are planning on releasing approximately 40 of the cold stun turtles back into the wild at Honeymoon Island on Thursday morning, 1/21 at 10:30am.

Two days ago we dove Molasses reef and on the way saw the following: Hundreds of dead fish of all types! 5 huge loggerhead turtles swimming towards the reef but all were in GOOD condition, probably thnx to the efforts of concerned citizens and the FWC.

A special thnx to the FWC, Turtle Hospital in Marathon and Monroe County Commissioner Mario Di Gennaro for going out of there way to rescue and care for the Turtles.

medical1:

We are planning on releasing approximately 40 of the cold stun turtles back into the wild at Honeymoon Island on Thursday morning, 1/21 at 10:30am.

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And the are off
'Cold-stunned' turtles released into gulf - St. Petersburg Times

Damn... i just put the last turtle in my pond in the morgue. I guess they slowed down so much they just drowned.
The fishies did fine, although I was chasing a a heron as tall as I am around the paths in my yard trying to get him/her to fly off. The bird seemed to know the yard as well as I do, so I guess that might explain the non-exploding fish population over the years.