Apollo Beach is the home of Florida Aquarium’s brand new Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center, and the $4.1 million facility just got its first patients.
Last night, eight turts (seven green turtles and one loggerhead) arrived from Volusia County. All of the cute creatures are now in stable condition, but a release says that they were all cold-stunned upon arrival following rescue on Florida’s east coast.
“Cold-stunned” refers to the hypothermic reaction that occurs when sea turtles are exposed to prolonged cold water temperatures. Symptoms include a decreased heart rate, decreased circulation, and lethargy, which can all lead to shock, pneumonia and possibly death.
The animals could not have landed in better hands. The two story, 19,000 square-foot facility has five different rehabilitation pools that range in size from 1,500 to 25,000 gallons. One of the pools is Florida’s deepest turtle-exclusive dive pools with an observation window.
The pools are where conservationists assess buoyancy issues, swim conditioning and food trials before turtles are cleared by FWC to be returned to the wild.
Get better, turts. Watch video below, courtesy of the Florida Aquarium.
This article appears in Jan 31 – Feb 7, 2019.