Almost Frozen Turtle Recovering, Headed To Rehab
Named Herb, the 75-pound loggerhead sea turtle was discovered by volunteers from the Massachusetts Audubon Sanctuary at Wellfleet Bay and was taken to the New England Aquarium in Boston. His body temperature was in the 40s when he was found on the beach in Truro on Dec. 3, but veterinarians and rescue biologists have slowly warmed him about five degrees each day, to bring his body temperature to the low 70′s.
Now Herb is ready to be moved to the Riverhead Foundation on New York’s Long Island, which rehabilitates and releases seals, whales, 
dolphins, and sea turtles, and should be well enough to be released back into the sea in late spring or summer.
While Herb is not the first sea turtle to be rescued from cape Cod in a state of hypothermia this season, he is the biggest of the season. So far this year, a total of 62 stranded sea turtles have been taken to the aquarium. Up to 90% of the stranded turtles taken to the aquarium survive, and up to 98% of those are eventually released. About 10% to 20% of the sea turtles washed ashore on Cape Cod beaches in the fall die because of the cold. [Via]
An endangered species, Loggerhead Sea Turtles were once intensively hunted for their meat and eggs, along with their fat which was used in cosmetics and medication. They also killed for their shells, which are used to make items such as combs. Many of these animals die annually caught in the fishing nets of crabfishers. In Turkey, hotels have been built right on its breeding sites. Sad.
Pic via here.
