 |
||||||||
 |
 |
|||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NEWS RELEASE
Three endangered Kemp's Ridley sea turtles are arriving at the National Marine Life Center on Tuesday, December 6, 2005. The turtles, which stranded on the Cape and were rescued by Massachusetts Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, have been in critical care at the New England Aquarium. Now that they are out of the turtle "ICU," the animals will continue their rehabilitation at the National Marine Life Center's Sea Turtle Clinic. "These are the first Kemp's Ridley sea turtles we've cared for in our Clinic," said Kathy Zagzebski, Center President and Executive Director. "Saving these critically-endangered animals is essential to ocean conservation. We're thrilled to be working along side institutions such as the New England Aquarium and MassAudubon in the fight to save stranded sea turtles on Cape Cod." The sea turtles are juveniles, an age class that commonly visits Cape Cod Bay and Nantucket Sound during summer months. "Lemony Snicket" stranded on October 30th at Corporation Beach in Dennis. "Valentine" stranded on October 30th at Chapen Beach in Dennis. Smarty stranded on November 12th at First Encounter Beach in Eastham. All three animals were suffering from cold-stunning, a form of hypothermia. Kemp's Ridley sea turtles are listed on the U.S. Endangered Species List. Probably fewer than 10,000 adults exist world-wide, and every individual is critical to the survival of the species. Ninety percent of the cold-stunned sea turtles rescued off the Cape are Kemp's Ridley. Cold-stunning is a condition that affects these cold-blooded reptiles when the water becomes too cold for the animals to maintain their internal body temperature. The sea turtle stranding network is comprised of organizations, including non-profits, educational institutions, and government agencies, working together to rescue and rehabilitate live-stranded sea turtles, and to gather data from dead-stranded turtles. The National Marine Life Center is a private, non-profit hospital for stranded marine animals. Its mission is to rehabilitate for release stranded sea turtles, seals, dolphins, and small whales, and to advance scientific knowledge and education in marine wildlife health and ocean conservation. For more information, vist http://www.nmlc.org. ###
|
|
||||
|
|
|||||
First
Endangered Sea Turtle Patients Arrive at the National Marine Life
Center