POINT PLEASANT BEACH – Three juvenile sea turtles were released back out into the ocean after a New Jersey-based nonprofit helped rehabilitate them from injuries and sickness.
Sea turtles Lulu, Taylor Drift, and Teddy Swims, journeyed through the sand of Point Pleasant Beach and slowly made their way into the water. All thanks to Sea Turtle Recovery.
Sea Turtle Recovery was created by two marine scientists, Bill Deerr and Brandi Biehl, who wanted to do more to help save the endangered and threatened animals in New Jersey. Sea Turtle Recovery is the first long term sea turtle hospital in the state, operating at the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange.
“Our busiest season is November, when all of the cold stunned sea turtles come in,” Biehl said.
Similar to hypothermia, sea turtles will shut down their body system and can shut down all their organs but their brain and heart. Due to this, they wash ashore very sick.
The three sea turtles who were recently released were all victims of cold stunning.
Lulu, a juvenile loggerhead sea turtle, was stranded due to becoming cold stunned in Massachusetts.
“She was very sick, very anemic. When we offered food she would eat, however they usually swim and hunt and gulp it down. But with her she would see it and take over a half hour to eat all of her diet, because she was so exhausted,” Biehl said. “We also discovered she had fungal ammonia. She was on several different antibiotics and fighting a lot of different infections. That’s why she was with us for so long.”
Taylor Drift is a juvenile Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle who was also stranded in Massachusetts due to being cold stunned.
“She was a fighter from the beginning. When she first came in, she had the worst set of x-rays we’ve ever seen. Just the congestion and fluid in her lungs, a massive and severe lung infection. She had so much congestion that she would tilt on one side when she was swimming. She would sleep on her side as well,” Biehl said.
“What was fun about her, she was beyond feisty. She had no interest in cooperating with anything we did. Even at the release she had no interest in cooperating there. We like to call Taylor Drift our little fighter,” Biehl added.
The final sea turtle, Teddy Swims, is a rare hybrid species who was also stranded due to becoming cold stunned in Massachusetts.
Biehl explained how finding a hybrid species raises concerns regarding the future of sea turtles.
“We’re very concerned when we see a hybrid sea turtle because that means the female, which we believe was a Kemp’s Ridley, only mated with the loggerhead if she couldn’t find enough males of her own species to mate with,” Biehl said. “The Kemp’s Ridley is critically endangered. It’s very possible we could lose them in our lifetime if something doesn’t change. It’s very concerning to see a hybrid.”
“With the changes in the climate and the habitat, we’ll be interested to see if this is a survival of the species and their continuation. Hopefully this was just a fluke,” Biehl added.
Since opening over seven years ago, Sea Turtle Recovery has saved 122 sea turtles.
“They have a chance not only to live and have a wonderful life, but they also can help continue their species,” Biehl said.
Loggerhead sea turtle Lulu is tracked via satellite so the team can follow where she swims. The public can find updates on tracked sea turtles on the nonprofit’s social media pages.
There are many different ways the public can help sea turtles and support Sea Turtle Recovery. You can visit seaturtlerecovery.org and make a donation, or you can adopt or sponsor a sea turtle.
