SeaWorld Orlando Receives Second Round of Cold-Stress Sea Turtles from the New England Coast

(December 23, 2012) Orlando, Fla. – Earlier this evening, SeaWorld Orlando’s Animal Rescue Team received four loggerhead sea turtles flown in on a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) aircraft from the New England Aquarium. A mass stranding of hypothermic sea turtles occurred along the Cape Cod coast several weeks ago; this is the second shipment of turtles for SeaWorld to take in and rehabilitate.

The sea turtles were received by SeaWorld aquarists at the Orlando Executive Airport and then transported to SeaWorld Orlando’s rehabilitation facility where the park’s veterinarian and aquarium team quickly evaluated the sea turtles; they will perform a more extensive evaluation in the morning.

The mass stranding is attributed to an unseasonably warm November that delayed the turtles’ exit from Cape Cod Bay to warmer waters. When the ocean temperatures dropped quickly, the sea turtles developed hypothermia and washed ashore. Once water temperatures are warm enough, the turtles will be returned to their natural habitat.

Distressed turtles are often found in Florida waters, too. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission requests for those who see stranded, distressed or dead sea turtles to call Wildlife Alert at 1-888-404-3922.

Participating agencies and organizations include: U.S. Coast Guard, NOAA Fisheries Northeast Region Stranding Network, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, New England Aquarium, Sea World Orlando, Mote Marine Lab, Volusia Marine Science Center, Loggerhead Marinelife Center, and the Florida Aquarium.