Melissa Donovan
With Central Florida receiving an unusual cold snap during the past week, SeaWorld Orlando took action to save fellow Florida residents, sea turtles.
The SeaWorld Orlando rescue team took in 16 cold-stunned sea turtles from Titusville who were showing visible signs of stress on their shells and skin.
While marine mammals like dolphins and manatees can survive in cold waters as warm-blooded creatures, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports that sea turtles cannot maintain a constant body temperature, as their body temperature varies with the water temperature. Once water temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, sea turtles often become lethargic and “stunned,” meaning they are able to move very little, if at all.
In an effort to bring the animals back to their natural habitat safely and efficiently, SeaWorld Orlando is working with the FWC on around-the-clock medical care to rehabilitate the turtles. Once weather and water conditions have subsided, the teams said they plan to release them back into the wild.
FWC said on their website, in the event of seeing a cold-stunned sea turtle to call their FWC Wildlife Alert at Hotline 888-404-FWCC (3922).
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