PADRE ISLAND, TX — Volunteers and wildlife officials are working around the clock to rescue cold-stunned sea turtles along the Texas coast as water temperatures in the Laguna Madre have plummeted.
On Monday afternoon, volunteers combing the beaches of Padre Island National Seashore found a sea turtle in need of immediate help and warmth. The turtle was discovered about 100 yards down the shore of the Bird Island Basin Campground.
"He needs immediate help," a volunteer said upon finding the distressed turtle.
Once the rescue team confirmed the turtle was still alive, they transported it to a rehabilitation center to tag the animal and begin the warming process.
State, local, and federal agencies are coordinating the rescue efforts. At the Briscoe King Pavilion, one of many local rehab sites, representatives from the Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA Fisheries, and Nueces County Coastal Parks were caring for two other cold-stunned turtles found near the canals and off Highway 361.
"We're looking to see if they have any movement in their eyes... to see if they have any movement in their flippers," said Cynthia Rubio, a Fish and Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
After confirming a turtle is alive, the rehabilitation team sends it to one of three facilities: the Texas State Aquarium, the Texas Sealife Center, or the Amos Rehabilitation Keep.
"They'll be dry docked.... and the next day they'll see if they pass a swimming test and if they do they'll be able to swim in the water," Rubio said.
The recovery process can be relatively quick under the right conditions.
"If the weather warms up in the next couple days... they can be released in a few days out in the gulf waters," Rubio said.
Wildlife experts are urging anyone who encounters a cold-stunned sea turtle not to touch it, but to immediately call 1-866-TURTLE-5. By reporting these sightings, beachgoers could help save a shelled swimmer.
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