Cold Stunned Sea Turtle Rescue Training

The first cold stunned sea turtle of 2013 was rescued by the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation just as the 16th Annual Run for the Ridley was ending. The rescued turtle was a Kemps Ridley- kind of weird- but it reminds us all of the good work the Riverhead Foundation does- and the need for us to help them to continue to rescue and rehabilitate these amazing sea creatures! The Kemps Ridley is an endangered species, and the smallest sea turtle in the world! Click here for more information on this amazing little turtle!

The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation is the only  organization in New York State who is authorized to operate the New York State Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding Program. The  Sea Turtle Rescue Program rescued 87 sea turtles from our beaches in 2012. Almost half of them were rescued due to cold stunning, and the others were because of injury or entanglement in marine debris. Since the program started in 1996, over 4,000 marine mammals and sea turtles have been rescued off our beaches and shorelines!

It's the time of year when many sea turtles will strand on our beaches! Sea-turtles are common in our area when the weather (and water) is warm. Turtles are reptiles who need an outside source of heat to maintain their body temperature, so when the water temperature starts to drop, most sea turtle species must migrate to warm waters, or they can die.

If they don’t leave in time, or if very cold weather causes a fast drop in water temperature, they can become hypothermic or ‘stunned’ by the cold water. They become extremely sluggish and can't swim away to warmer waters. They stop eating and become extremely weak. They end up floating on the surface and sometimes wash up on the beach. They tend to wash up along north facing beaches, but they can be found on any beach!

The largest sea turtle, the Leatherback, is specially adapted to live in cold water, so don’t be too surprised if you see one swimming about this time of year! The Kemps Ridley, Green Sea Turtle, and the Loggerhead are found in our area and are susceptible to cold-stunning if they don't migrate south. All of these turtles have been rescued in past years by the Riverhead Foundation, and they need our help to help save these amazing animals!

The Riverhead Foundation holds training lectures where you can learn more about how to rescue sea turtles. The lectures are held in the fall at many locations. Click HERE for the dates and times of training lectures. The list is also posted as a picture above. You can call 631-369-9840 or email volunteers@riverheadfoundation.org  for more information.

You can help rescue cold-stunned sea turtles by patrolling the shoreline! Go for a walk on our beautiful beaches and you just may rescue a sea turtle! After storms or very cold weather is a good time to patrol, but they can be found anytime. You might see one in the wrack line, or close to the water’s edge. When looking for sea turtles, look around the entire beach from the dunes to the water. Look for turtles near the waters edge and also for those who may be buried beneath dried seaweed or other debris. Don’t forget to check the water for floating turtles as well.

The turtle may not be moving and you might think that it is dead, but there is a chance that it is cold stunned, and it can be saved! Call the experts at the Riverhead Foundation asap and let them decide if the turtle can be saved!

If you spot a sea turtle (or any marine mammal) please call 631-369-9829. It is a 24 hr. Emergency Hot-line number, so don't hesitate to call any day, anytime, day or night. If you are unsure if the animal needs help, call the Foundation and let them decide.

If you can’t wait for the rescuers to arrive, clearly mark the area so they can find the turtle. If the animal is in or close to the water, remove it from the water and place it above the high tide mark. If it is windy, try to block the wind. Whatever you do, don’t try to warm the sea turtle. Leave that to the experts. If done improperly, the turtle can die. You might think it is already dead, but again, please leave that decision to the folks at the Riverhead Foundation.

For more information on cold-stunned sea turtles, click here to watch an interview with Rob and Julika from the Riverhead Foundation.

Take a walk on the beach today and save a sea turtle for tomorrow.