SOCIALIFE
COMMUNITY PRIDE
ACTION! Island Community Rallies To Save TurtlesAfter Historic Freeze
Article: Dr. Kimberly Selber Photography: Sea Turtle Inc
First, the temperatures suddenly dropped into the teens – a weather event rarely experienced at South Padre Island (SPI) – then the Texas Power Grid failed, leaving a majority of SPI, and the rest of Texas, without electricity. Then many SPI residents lost water, and gas stations ran out of fuel. It seemed things couldn’t get any worse. But they did. With the waters in the Gulf of Mexico turning unusually cold, the sea turtle population
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(primarily comprising Kemp’s Ridley, green, and loggerhead) was massively affected. Turtles rely on ambient temperatures to regulate their body temperatures. With temperatures dropping well below normal, the reptiles went through what Wendy Knight, chief executive officer of Sea Turtle Inc., called a “cold-stunning,” leaving them paralyzed, unable to move their flippers. or raise their heads for air. “They know they should be flapping their fins and raising their heads to breathe. All of those instincts are happening, but their body isn’t fulfilling its instincts,” continued Knight. Failure to warm-up can result in pneumonia or death. Many washed ashore, unable to swim or help themselves; this was a clear sign the turtles were in distress. “Turtles don’t usually rest on the beaches for fun,” Knight said.
Turtle Photos: SPI CVB
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