As summer temperatures warm Gulf waters, more sea turtles are moving through the area, sometimes becoming trapped in dangerous situations. A new Corpus Christi resident recently found a sea turtle trapped in the jetties on Padre Island and was unsure of what to do in this situation.
"Oh my gosh, it's a turtle! I've never seen one up front. So, it was kind of exciting, but also scary because I didn't know how to help it," said Travis Dudley, who recently moved to the area from Comanche, Texas.
Dudley described the turtle's distressing condition when he found it.
"It was upside down, holding its breath kind of, whenever the water would wash over, and you could tell it was just very uncomfortable," Dudley said.
Not knowing about the sea turtle rescue hotline, Dudley and his friend relied on other beachgoers who advised them to call several rescue organizations. The Amos Rehabilitation Keep (ARK) in Port Aransas answered their call, and alerted a volunteer from the Padre Island National Seashore, who came to rescue the trapped turtle.
Andrew Orgill, ARK Staff Supervisor, explained that this is a common seasonal occurrence, and that the ARK has received about 50 calls related to jetty-trapped sea turtles over the past month.
"When the water is warm at this time of year, that's usually when we see our jetty entrapments, kind of through the summer," Orgill said.
The reason for these jetty entrapments is related to the turtles' feeding habits around the jetties.
"While they're up along the edge of the rocks eating the algae and the different things that are living on the rocks, different winds, or tides, or ship wakes, can push them over where they'll get stuck down between the granite rocks of the jetty, which is where we often find them stuck in the rocks," Orgill said.
Many people want to help when they see distressed turtles, but it's important to know that touching a sea turtle is illegal under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), unless specifically authorized. Several organizations around the Coastal Bend—such as the Amos Rehabilitation Keep, the Texas Sealife Center, the Texas State Aquarium, and the Padre Island National Seashore— rescue and rehabilitate injured and entrapped sea turtles.
"Basically, if it's gonna be a life or death situation for that turtle, we can deputize people to pick it up and hold onto it for us. That is legal. There's a Good Samaritan act as well," Orgill said.
Experts emphasize that you should only touch a sea turtle if you've spoken to a rescue agency and they determine it's in the best interest of the animal until rescuers arrive. After rescuers respond to a jetty-trapped sea turtle, they typically bring the animal into their facility for a medical checkup to check their vital signs and assess any injuries.
Dudley says he learned an important lesson from his experience at the beach.
"Now I know, they gave me the phone number, saved it in my phone so that way, whenever I go out there next time, if I see it, I can instantly have the resources," Dudley said.
If you see a jetty-trapped sea turtle, do not touch it and call the turtle rescue hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5 immediately.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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