(Wednesday, December 15) Today, 36 more cold-stressed sea turtles are finding care and warmth at SeaWorld in Orlando. The park’s animal rescue team and sea turtle experts picked up the turtles at the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, near Cape Canaveral, FL, after they were found and gathered by biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC).
This week’s cold spell has been damaging in Central Florida – and to sea turtles, especially. Earlier in the week, SeaWorld Orlando's team rescued three turtles from cold Florida waters and on Sunday, 20 sea turtles were transported from the New England Aquarium in Boston to SeaWorld Orlando by the U.S. Coast Guard.
At SeaWorld, the animals – mainly green sea turtles – will be warmed and watched. As soon as they are strong, the park’s experts will return the animals to the wild.
SeaWorld’s animal rescue team is on call 24/7 to care for orphaned, injured or sick animals. The team has rescued more than 18,000 animals since the rescue programs began 45 years ago.
