PONCE INLET, Fla. – Volunteers in Volusia County are sounding the alarm after a dramatic spike in stranded sea turtles washing ashore — and they need the public’s help.
Volunteers with Volusia Turtle Patrol say they have rescued more than 20 sea turtles in just the last few days — far more than they typically see this time of year. With busy holiday crowds expected on the beach, they say there are several things beachgoers can look out for.
“They’ve been out in the waters and they’re just so tired and exhausted and when they wash up they don’t have the energy to swim back out,” said volunteer Lynn Black.
A brutal cold snap in early February is believed to have cold-stunned many species along the coast, leaving them weak and disoriented. Many are found at the shoreline, tangled in seaweed and in poor condition — some already dead, others in critical need of care.
[WATCH: SeaWorld Orlando provides emergency care for 16 cold-stunned sea turtles]
“They’re not eating as much, they don’t have the strength that they had, so when they wash up, we ask people don’t touch them,” Black said.
Instead, beachgoers are urged to call for help. A volunteer like Black or a trained rescuer will respond to the scene.
“Usually I’ll get one or two around this time of year but I’ve taken nine of them down in the last two months,” Black said.
Rescued turtles are transported to the Marine Science Center in Ponce Inlet, where they undergo a full examination to determine whether they can be rehabilitated.
“Then we test them in water, so as you can see, we have some in baby pools so we put them in there if they’re not necessarily strong enough to come up on their own,” said Lindsey Borroto, an animal care technician at the center.
[WATCH: Cold stunned turtles in Florida: What to watch for, how to help]
Borroto says the center has taken in 157 turtles since January — more than it has seen during the same time frame in recent years. While the center typically cares for juveniles and hatchlings, staff are currently treating three sub-adults, each weighing more than 100 pounds.
“It could be any number of things, honestly, but I think it’s really they’re already debilitated and now starting to come ashore,” Borroto said.
If you spot a sea turtle you believe needs help, do not touch it. Instead, flag down a lifeguard, contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission or dial *FWC from your cell phone.