Texas aquariums are rehabilitating hundreds of turtles as historic cold snaps hit the state.
The Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi has launched a major response aimed at preserving sea turtle species affected by frigid weather. The aquarium's Port Corpus Christi Wildlife Conservation Center is one of the largest sea turtle conservation centers in the United States and has the capacity to rescue thousands of turtles.
The rescue center opened in 2023 and has since rehabilitated hundreds of turtles. And we're preparing to help even more turtles this winter.
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The Texas State Aquarium told Fox News Digital it rehabilitated more than 320 turtles last week and is preparing for another freeze.
Heaters keep turtles in aquariums warm, but thousands of wild turtles in the Gulf of Mexico are at risk of passing out from the cold.
The Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi has launched a major response aimed at saving the sea turtle species. (Texas State Aquarium)
In cold stunning, turtles and other marine reptiles weaken and lose consciousness after prolonged exposure to cold water.
They cannot regulate their body temperature like mammals.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department uses boats to monitor the waters and observe where the turtles appear startled. A rescue team is then dispatched to take them to warmer waters.
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Hundreds of affected wild turtles will be moved to emergency response pools after being rescued from the wild, the organizations said.
Jesse Gilbert, CEO of the Texas State Aquarium, told FOX News Digital that animals typically experience chills when water temperatures reach 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
A green sea turtle eats lettuce at the Texas State Aquarium Wildlife Recovery Center in Corpus Christi on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023. The turtle was rescued around Christmas 2022 after losing consciousness due to the cold. (John Shapley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
“The turtle basically looks dead,” Gilbert said.
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Gilbert, a Michigan native, said last Monday night was the coldest weather he had seen while in Corpus Christi.
He called it a “Texas-sized problem” and said he expected hundreds of cold-stunned turtles to show up at aquariums.
Children watch fish swim at the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023. The aquarium has been working to save a turtle that passed out from the cold during the cold snap that has affected the Lone Star State over the past week. (John Shapley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
“The aquarium proactively installed a large emergency response pool specifically designed to accommodate the significant number of sea turtles that could become unconscious from the cold,” officials said in a recent press release. .
“These pools are not only spacious, but also equipped with heaters that have been rigorously tested to ensure full functionality.”
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Since 1995, the aquarium has admitted 8,700 animals and reptiles and released more than 4,000.
A significant portion of these (2,855 individuals) were endangered species.
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