Florida aquarium reaches capacity in the middle of the cold crisis of the cold of sea turtles

Apollo Beach, Fla. (CBS12) – The Florida Aquarium has teamed up with an unprecedented influx of cold-stressed sea turtles and reaches the full capacity in its rehabilitation center of sea turtles in Apollo Beach.

With 18 newcomers on Wednesday, the center now takes care of 56 turtles, the highest number of all time. The cold water temperatures along the east coast in Florida continue to be a threat to these endangered creatures.

“This is one of the earliest and most difficult events we have ever seen,” said Dr. Debi Luke, Senior Vice President for nature reserve at the Florida Aquarium. “We usually see the climax between the end of February and April, but we are already fully busy and more turtles continue to fight.”

When the water temperatures fall into the low 1950s, sea turtles become lethargic and float to the surface, which makes it vulnerable to predators and potential beaches. This winter, the Florida Aquarium announced that it has already taken in 49 turtles, and the number could increase if the cold conditions remain. Rehabilitation centers in all of Florida are able or near capacities, which leads to difficult decisions about which turtles are looked after.

The cost of rehabilitation in a single sea turtle can reach 15,000 US dollars. Some require months to a year of intensive care. Despite the cross -party support for the law on the rescue and rehabilitation of Sea Turtle Rescue and rehabilitation, the aquarium is that there are currently no state financing programs to compensate for these costs, so that institutions such as IT remain dependent on donations and support from the municipality.

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“The reality is the space for sea turtle and the finances are maximized,” added Dr. Luke added. “We now need the help of the public more than ever.”

The public can help by visiting the Florida Aquarium, providing its efforts to tortoise natural tortoise, standing up for increased funds and political changes and stranded or desperate or desperate sea turtles to the Wildlife Hotline of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission 888-404-FWCC.

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