Texas, USA, is currently hit by winter storms. Extremely cold weather not only causes suffering to the local people, but also poses a fatal threat to local marine life.
According to a U.S. media report on the 18th local time, thousands of turtles living on the southern coast of Texas have been frozen and incapacitated due to their inability to bear the cold. At present, local rescue organizations are trying to rescue the sea turtles washed to the beach.
On the beach of South Padre Island near the southern coast of Texas, a large number of turtles were washed up to the shore due to the sudden drop in sea temperature, which caused more than 4,700 turtles to freeze and lose consciousness.
Regarding this phenomenon, Wendy Knight, executive director of the Turtle Research and Conservation Center, said that turtles are cold-blooded animals and will have hypothermia after encountering extremely cold seawater, which leads to fainting or inability to move.
Usually every winter, 100 to 500 “frozen” turtles washed ashore on the beaches of southern Texas, but so many as this year are rare.
At present, volunteers from local rescue organizations are working hard to rescue the sea turtles and temporarily foster them in a nearby conference center, hoping that the marine creatures can recover their temperature and wake up as soon as possible.
Every once in a while, volunteers will bring turtles salvaged by the sea to the convention center, which has so far fostered more than 3,500 turtles, said Ed Caum, executive director of the South Padre Island Convention and Tourism Bureau.
Hopefully, the indoor temperature can help these turtles adjust their temperature and wake up as soon as possible. Coom also said that some of the turtles were severely frostbitten and that the situation is not optimistic at present.
Regarding when the turtles can be returned to the sea, Coom said that everything needs to wait until the temperature rises before planning.
At present, the temperature in the area is only 4 degrees Celsius, and it is expected that the temperature will rise above 15 degrees Celsius after the 20th. Perhaps that is the time to send them home.
