Sudden plunge from record high temperatures shocks local turtles.
It’s somewhat of an annual event, but the sudden drop in temperatures that is a regular feature of Outer Banks winter weather can overwhelm the metabolism of sea turtles. Joy Crist writing for the Island Free Press does a great job of telling the story on Hatteras Island.
Nearly 100 cold-stunned sea turtles were found and transported to the Network for Endangered Sea Turtles (NEST) Rehabilitation Center at the N.C. Aquarium on Roanoke Island, after two days of cold temperatures that led to approximately 89 sea turtles being rescued on Tuesday alone.
The coordinated effort by local and northern Outer Banks volunteers, (which is orchestrated by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission), is a regular endeavor during the winter months, when the occasional freeze can affect mainly juvenile sea turtles in the Pamlico Sound.
To read the complete island Free Press story, click here.