By Elise Amacker , Audubon Nature Institute
On March 15 , 2021 , Audubon Nature Institute ’ s Coastal Wildlife Network ( CWN ) team released 13 cold-stunned Kemp ’ s ridley sea turtles they had rehabilitated along the Grand Isle shoreline . In celebration of Carnival season , Audubon named a group of rescued endangered sea turtles , which were received in November 2020 for rehabilitation as part of a massive cold-stunning event along the New England coast , after iconic Mardi Gras krewes and marching groups . The first 13 turtles released were named : Tucks , Rex , Zulu , Thoth , Endymion , Chaos , Themis , Muff-alotta , Stomper , Athena , Carrollton , Pandora , and Proteus . The remaining turtles would be released in smaller groups in April , May , and July .
Coordinated by Audubon Nature Institute , CWN serves as NOAA Fisheries ’ primary marine mammal and sea turtle stranding network partner in Louisiana . CWN is committed to the humane care and treatment of injured , ill , or displaced marine animals in Louisiana and is the only entity in the state responsible for the rehabilitation of live marine mammals and sea turtles .
While the northern Gulf of Mexico is home to five of the world ’ s seven species of sea turtles , and CWN primarily works with animals from the Gulf Coast , they ’ re always happy to lend a helping hand to our friends up north . They frequently take in turtles from New England that were cold-stunned in winter to rehabilitate , then release into the Gulf of Mexico when temperatures rise .
Typically sea turtles migrate to warmer waters in the fall , but if they don ’ t make the migration before coastal water temperatures drop , they can suffer from hypothermia , also known as cold-stunning . Symptoms of cold-stunning can include decreased heart and respiration rates , decreased circulation , lethargy , shock , and pneumonia , which can be deadly .
4 Life Unleashed