Turtle release

We learned while we visited the Turtle Rescue Center that there was going to be a turtle release back into the wild in January. The release was going to be in the Isla Blanca County Park at the Southern tip of the island. Luckily the Park is almost next door to the KOA where we are staying, so we could just bike over there and avoid the entrance charge for motor vehicles.

If you remember me posting a picture of the snow flurries we had back in December, well apparently that dip in temperatures is not well tolerated by Kemps Ripley Sea Turtles. What happens is they become “cold stunned” and lose control of their limbs. Many washed up on shores at South Padre Island, and the dedicated folk at the Turtle Rescue Center went out and gathered them up. They put them in large tank where they could stabilize, and made sure they did not become desensitized to human contact.

After the sea turtles warmed up and regained their senses, the folk at the Rescue Center set out to release them in the wild. We were quite surprised at the number of turtles affected. As we watched, a dozen Texas DNR trucks pulled up to unload a dozen turtles that would take 5 or 6 people to lift – huge! The placed them in the water gently, and the grateful sea turtles swam off.

After that, literally dozens of smaller turtles were carried down to the waters edge. The turtles ranged in size from ones you could almost hold in your hand to several that were one to two feet long. Again, we watched as they were gently placed in the water. They wasted no time in skedaddling out of there and returning to their life in the wild.

All in all, it was quite a spectacle. Check that off the bucket list!

Talk to you soon!