Cold-stunned sea turtles rescued in Texas

Residents of South Padre Island in South Texas, some of whom lack heat or basic amenities in their own homes due to the unusually chilly weather, have been rescuing cold-stunned sea turtles and taking them to a convention center in the resort town. “Every 15 minutes or less there’s another truck or SUV that pulls up,” Ed Caum, executive director of the South Padre Island Convention and Visitors Bureau, said Feb 17. The convention center started pitching in Feb. 15 when its neighbor, Sea Turtle Inc., could no longer handle the number of sea turtles being dropped off, and their mostly outdoor operation had lost power. He says they’ve “collected” more than 3,500 sea turtles so far. He said he hesitates to use the word rescued because “we know we’re going to lose some.” Caum said that, with another cold front approaching, they don’t know when they’ll be able to return the sea turtles to the water. He said the convention center got power back on Feb. 19 and they were able to bring its temperature back to around 15 degrees Celsius. Temperatures in the area on Feb. 17 were 4 to 5 C. (AP) This article was provided by The Japan Times Alpha.