Turtles to Remember in a Memorable Rescue Season

This post was contributed by Wellfleet Bay Sea Turtle Stranding Coordinator Karen Dourdeville.

Each cold-stunned sea turtle season is different, but 2020 is turning out to be one for the scrapbooks! With 1,000 turtles rescued or recovered from our beaches–our second busiest season ever– there are a few that stand out for me for different reasons.

The Starters

Three Kemp’s ridleys rescued in Eastham on November 3^rd started off our second busiest season ever. Staff and volunteers were ready for them, and more turtles quickly followed that day. These turtles and many others are now receiving care at marine animal rehab facilities in Florida.

Go Green

The next day, November 4th, we rescued the first green sea turtle of the season. Greens are not as hardy as the ridleys and loggerheads in cold water, so getting greens in early is good!

The Big Guy

November 20th saw the stranding in Truro of a huge (350-lb) mature male loggerhead. Wellfleet Bay’s rescue effort was made possible due to quick action and help from Truro town workers. Despite expert veterinary care at New England Aquarium’s Animal Care Center, this magnificent animal suffered from multiple health issues and only survived several days. His stranding, rescue and care, however, represent to me what this project is all about – people coming together to help endangered and threatened sea turtles. He also served as something of a poster child for the project, gaining nationwide concern and support.

Too-Big-for-a-Banana-Box Kemp’s ridley

Then there’s the biggest Kemp’s ridley so far this year, a live 7.1 kilogram (15.6 lbs.) turtle rescued on Great Island on December 10^th.  This turtle was too big to fit in a banana box, so it traveled to the New England Aquarium on foam like the heavier loggerheads do. The ridley is at the upper right in the photo.

Note the “noodles”, which we use to support the outer edge of the plastron on larger turtles. This takes pressure off the central plastron and helps the turtles breathe.

The “Pocket” Loggerhead

l’ll never forget the season’s first really small loggerhead, weighing in at a “whopping” 3.9 kilograms (8.5 lbs). It fit quite easily in a banana box!

Two Tesla Turtle Taxi Riders

The “Tesla Turtle Taxi” has been operational again this year. One of our volunteers from Falmouth has twice met the ferry from Martha’s Vineyard, picking up two live Kemp’s ridleys that stranded on the Vineyard. The volunteer drives these turtles directly to New England Aquarium’s Animal Care Center. While on the Vineyard, the turtles were cared for by Gus Ben David, the former Director of Mass Audubon’s Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary. Gus has a special “reptile room” that he keeps at 55 degrees–perfect for cold-stunned turtles!

The Gripper

And then there’s the Kemp’s ridley found “swimming upside down” in the Mill Pond, near Pamet Harbor in Truro. Back at the sanctuary’s Turtle ICU room, this little guy/gal wouldn’t let go of its towel. In order to get its weight, I had to hold the turtle and let the towel drop onto the scale to zero it out, then lower the turtle and its attached towel onto the scale.

The Hybrid

During most cold-stun years, we rescue at least one turtle that shows distinct evidence of being a hybrid. Inter-species mating among sea turtles is well-documented. On December 3rd, what clearly appears to be a hybrid was rescued in Truro. Its scute pattern on carapace and plastron, general body shape, and head scales and shape indicate a probable cross between a green and a loggerhead. DNA blood analysis from veterinary care can determine the cross.

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Companions in the Dark

Turtles are processed by Wellfleet Bay sea turtle staff in our Turtle “ICU” room. In a typical year, weighing, measuring and assessing turtles is often a group effort . COVID protocols  this year, however, have changed that. Now, only one staff member works at a time in the ICU, so processing is a solitary undertaking. But it’s solitary only from a human perspective. When I’ve been processing turtles late at night or in early morning hours, with darkness and stillness outside, I often hear live ridleys moving around in their cozy banana boxes, awaiting the next transport by a volunteer driver. Sometimes one turtle even props its “beak” on the edge of a hole in its box, and I imagine it watching me as I work. Fine company!

Sea Turtle Heroes

Sea turtle rescue is also memorable because of all the people who make such a difference in the lives of these endangered and threatened animals.

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Huge thanks goes out to Wellfleet Bay volunteers and staff, as well as the community at large, including Cape Cod National Seashore National rangers, Truro municipal employees, the Wellfleet harbormaster’s crew, and responsible beach walkers. And of course a big shout-out to our rehab partners at New England Aquarium’s Animal Care Center, the National Marine Life Center, and more distant rehab centers. Also thanks to Turtles Fly Too, whose volunteer private pilots have transported nearly 500 turtles by air this season! And, as always, we’re grateful to our partners at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for so skillfully managing and coordinating an unusually busy season— and in a pandemic!