University of New England

Eight endangered sea turtles arrive at UNE's Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center

BIDDEFORD, Maine - Seven Kemp's ridley turtles and one green sea turtle arrived on Jan. 25, 2008 from the New England Aquarium in Boston to the University of New England's Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center where they will be rehabilitated and released to the wild.

The eight endangered turtles were nicknamed by the New England Aquarium rescue biologists after cartoon characters - the seven Kemp's ridley turtles are Gonzo, Scooby-Doo, Tigger, Waldorf, Boo Boo, Ursula and Dory, and the green turtle is Crush.

Sea Turtles Background
There are five species of sea turtles in the North Atlantic Ocean and all are on the Endangered Species list. Migratory animals, sea turtles are cold-blooded reptiles that often suffer extreme hypothermia when water temperatures drop in northern climes, like Cape Cod Bay. Cold-shocked turtles are often found on the surface of the water floating listlessly and may suffer from infections, emaciation, and frost bite. They are also vulnerable to boat collisions.

When the warm water suddenly turns cold in the fall, the turtles become stunned by the cold and float to the top of the water, washing up onto the beaches of Cape Cod. There they are rescued and transported to the New England Aquarium, which distributes them to rehabilitation centers across the country.

Hunting, fishing, development and pollution have seriously reduced sea turtle populations. Development in coastal areas have greatly reduced natural nesting habitats. Capture of adult turtles for eggs, meat, leather, and tortoise shell has decreased breeding populations. Incidental capture of adults in fishing nets and shrimp trawls has brought one species, the Kemp's Ridley (Lepidochelys kempi), right to the brink of extinction. For these reasons all species of sea turtle are protected under federal endangered and threatened species legislation.

MARC
UNE's Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center, a unit of UNE's Marine Science Education and Research Center, is the only facility in Northern New England licensed by the National Marine Fisheries Service to rehabilitate sea turtles.

(Press release posted Jan. 29, 2008)