Hundreds of Formerly Cold-Stunned Sea Turtles Returned to Gulf of Mexico by Texas State Aquarium

3 年前

The Texas State Aquarium released over 800 formerly cold-stunned sea turtles into the Gulf of Mexico on February 23, after rehabilitating the turtles during a historic cold snap in the state.

Footage released by the aquarium shows turtles transported by the truckload and then slid into the ocean.

According to a press release, the operation on February 23 was preceded by another on February 22, with 146 of the largest sea turtles released. The larger scale operation the next day involved the Marine Spill Response Corporation, who provided a vessel to transport over 800 sea turtles 20 miles offshore into the Gulf of Mexico.

Record low temperatures during the previous week incapacitated a large number of sea turtles. Thousands were rescued by organizations across Texas and returned to the sea once water temperatures were safely above 50 F. Credit: Texas State Aquarium via Storyful