National Aquarium breaks record by saving 30 sea turtles from Cape Cod
by Elaina Finkelstein/ABC7 Friday, December 8th 2017
BALTIMORE (ABC7) — The National Aquarium is currently treating 30 sea turtles who were rescued from the waters at Cape Cod due to rapid weather change.
The aquarium says this rescue of turtles is record-breaking, with 30 turtles being the largest number the rehabilitation center has ever treated at once.
The group of turtles were transported by plane from New England Aquarium with illnesses that came from shore and water levels that were too shallow for survival, according to National Aquarium officials.
The turtles were rushed by private aircraft to the National Aquarium’s hospital to be immediately treated for illnesses such as pneumonia and blood chemistry imbalances.
“This record-setting intake was a challenge for our team to logistically provide immediate care for so many turtles at one time, but our team of experts truly rose to the challenge,” said Jennifer Dittmar, curator of animal rescue at the National Aquarium. “The increasing number and intensity of cold-stunning events shows the need for both proactive action awareness to protect these animals and expanded response and care teams to help affected animals return to the ocean, two goals that our team at the National Aquarium is proud to support.“
Each of the 30 turtles received a name and corresponding number by specialists in order to track individual care and progress toward release.
For this rescue season, the aquarium decided to name each of the turtles after breakfast foods. The first turtle, number 64, was named “Waffles”. Other names were Bacon, Huevos Rancheros, Flapjack and Benedict.
The National Aquarium plans to release the rescued turtles once they are nursed back to health after the winter season ends.