Over the next fortnight, beach walkers occasionally found the carcasses of long dead sea turtles that were collected for later necropsy. Then four days after Christmas, the rescue staff of the Mass Audubon at Wellfleet Bay Sanctuary received word that a good-sized loggerhead had come ashore. The logical assumption was that this would be a body retrieval for later necropsy, but reports were that the animal was moving!



Officially on well-earned time off, Mass Audubon staff responded to find a large, live loggerhead that was somewhat active. They quickly found a volunteer to drive the severely hypothermic marine reptile 90 miles to the New England Aquarium’s sea turtle hospital in Quincy, MA. Aquarium veterinarian, Dr. Kathy Tuxbury, found the turtle alive but extremely lethargic with a 44.9 degree body temperature and requiring respiratory aid. After blood work, she administered some life-saving drugs to the underweight but not emaciated turtle. The animal was quickly responsive to a variety of treatments. As of late Tuesday, the body temperature was steadily rebounding, and it was swimming for extended periods of time. The prognosis remains guarded, but nearly all signs are trending positively.

Christmas miracle, plucky survivor against all odds or just the last turtle standing after an out-of-control summerlong crab feast, this now lively loggerhead had his 15 minutes of media time on New Year’s Eve. This yet to be named sea turtle is the 746th one admitted to the Aquarium’s animal care center this year. In an average year over the past decade, 90 hypothermic sea turtles are usually treated.

As 2014 closes, the New England Aquarium would like to thank all of those who this past November and December helped to save hundreds of the world’s most endangered sea turtles. That includes our amazing, long term partner Mass Audubon, the hundreds of local volunteers who walked beaches or helped in our sea turtle hospital, the Coast Guard and the private pilots who airlifted turtles,  NOAA– the federal oceans agency—and the dozens of marine animal rehab facilities in 16 states that either took re-warmed and stabilized sea turtles or sent professional staff to help care for all of the hypothermic sea turtles in this record smashing year. Our last loggerhead is also grateful as it welcomed in a new year.

Our local sea turtle stranding tidalwave continues to pique the interest of folks around the country.

A rescued sea turtle awaits its entrance exam

Here are a couple national news stories that you may have missed.

• Watch NBC Nightly News
• Watch CBS Evening News
• Read New York Times

In these news stories, you'll find a lot of interesting information about the rescue efforts that take place down on Cape Cod, before the turtles even arrive at our facility. Beach walkers and triage by Mass Audubon is a critical step in the journey to recovery for these rescued sea turtles.

As of mid-December, more than 700 turtles have been treated at the Aquarium's Animal Care Center in Quincy. In order to make room for new patients, we've had to transport turtles to many facilities up and down the East Coast and Gulf Coast.

This morning, we had a crew of dedicated staff and volunteers on the scene well before the sun came up. Each turtle needs to be gentle scooped up from their holding pen, given a quick checkup and then tucked into their transport banana box. Here's a look.



83 turtles headed south to Gulfport, Mississippi for the long months of rehabilitation ahead. That's thanks to another tremendous transport by the U.S. Coast Guard. Meanwhile, there are still more than 70 in the pens and pools at our facility.

Stay tuned for more about the care that goes into nursing these animals back to health.

Catch up on some recent turtle news:

• Meet the village that's pitching in to care for all the turtles at the Animal Care Center
• See underwater pictures of the turtles swimming
• Watch our video detailing the journey of a turtle from Cape Cod to Quincy
• Our previous Coast Guard transport was MASSIVE

You might have wondered... With nearly 750 sick sea turtles admitted to our Quincy Animal Care Center since mid November, how are we able to function and provide care to these animals?

NEAQ staff and interns working side by side with our colleagues from Virginia Aquarium visiting to help treat endangered sea turtles .

IFAW staff member working with Katie Pugliares, NEAQ rescue staff, on a Kemp's ridley sea turtle. Our colleague from the marine mammal department who was helping us out that day is looking at the master turtle board locating the next turtle scheduled for treatment.

There is not a single Rescue Department staff in the picture above! The few people in green scrubs are NEAQ rescue volunteers and interns, while everyone else is representing another departments or organizatios: NH Seacoast Science Center, IFAW, and NEAQ marine mammal and education departments.

Our colleagues from the National Aquarium in Baltimore as well as another Virginia Aquarium staff member were helping with treatments and feedings of sea turtles all of last week.

Our volunteers and interns also work as a team most of the time...

... although sometimes their team is a number of newly admitted sea turtles...

... or a stack of empty banana boxes readied for an upcoming transport.

X-ray pictures of sea turtle NEST-14-500-Lk. The picture on the left was taken just a few days after the animal was admitted  to NEAQ and shows severe pneumonia - the area affected looks like a "bubble wrap" and some of it is pointed with arrows. The picture on the right is the same turtle after undergoing two weeks of rehabilitation and antibiotic therapy - the "bubble wrap" like area is almost non existing indicating recession of pneumonia!

Every year, the New England Aquarium's Marine Animal Rescue Team rehabilitates critically endangered sea turtles and releases them back into the wild. Your support makes programs like this possible.


We are in the midst of an epic sea turtle stranding season right now. Take a look.



The Aquarium's Rescue Team has now treated more than 600 turtles at the Animal Care Center. That's nearly four times the number treated during our last record-breaking cold-stun season in 2012. Some of the healthier turtles seen in the video have been transported to other rescue facilities up and down the East Coast after being stabilized by Aquarium rescuers. This will make room for even more patients. Each turtle is in for several months of rehabilitation before being released back into the ocean.

A green sea turtle patient

And still, the turtles keep arriving. Volunteers with our partners at Mass. Audubon are strolling the beaches looking for cold-stunned turtles that may have washed onto the beaches along Cape Cod. Those turtles are triaged at Mass Audubon in Wellfleet then transported down to the Animal Care Center in Quincy, Mass.

When the turtles first arrive they are given subcutaneous fluid depending on what their bloodwork shows.

New arrivals get a swim to hopefully stimulate activity. In the early days of rehabilitation, turtles sometimes need a helping hand to keep their heads above water.