They’re usually found in the tropical waters of Mexico and Hawaii, but a wayward green sea turtle is now in the care of the Vancouver Aquarium after being spotted on a remote B.C. beach.
Parks Canada officers spotted the turtle on Comber Beach in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve Saturday. The animal showed barely any signs of movement in its head and flippers.
It was brought to the aquarium’s Marine Science Centre in Vancouver for treatment and found to have a body temperature of only 11.2 degrees Celsius, low enough to be considered hypothermic or “cold stunned.”
“Reptiles are cold-blooded and they completely depend on their external environment to control their body temperature,” Dr. Martin Haulena, head veterinarian for the science centre, said in a statement. “When they get into water that’s too cold they get hypothermia, also known as cold-stunning. Everything slows down: heart, respiration rates, they can’t swim, they can’t forage — they get weaker and weaker.”
The creature is now being warmed by a few degrees a day until it’s back up to 20 degrees Celsium or higher. If it is warmed too quickly, it could die, the aquarium says.
It has been treated with antibiotics, fluids and care for several wounds on its carapace, and aquarium staff say the turtle is still in poor condition.
The tropical species are usually found in warmer waters, but experts say an above-average warming trend in the Pacific Ocean could be forcing some species further north.
Last week, a Guadalupe fur seal, usually found closer to Mexico, was found in distress and rescued near Ucluelet.
The lethargic, emaciated seal has not improved much since he came to the aquarium’s Marine Mammal Rescue Centre, says Haulena.
“Historically, this species has a poor prognosis once stranded,” he said, adding only about 30 per cent make it to release in California, where seals are often rescued after becoming stranded.
Green sea turtles are considered endangered worldwide by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
