Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The New England Aquarium is known for its three sea turtles, but the work it does with these creatures extends far beyond that.
Hundreds of sea turtles get lured into the area due to the Gulf of Maine’s increasing temperatures,
The Gulf has been heating up for years and has only confused the shelled creatures more.
The water then gets colder with the change of seasons and the turtles are unable to move south to warmer areas due to Cape Cod Bay’s odd shape.
Without help, these turtles get trapped and could die from the cold.
This has led to the New England Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation sector taking in more than 200 of these stranded turtles to prevent any further injury from the colder water.
Adam Kennedy runs this sea turtle hospital and he himself compared it to any standard health facility.
“It’s kind of an ICU for a lot of these animals,” said Kennedy. “They’re going to be getting medications, and they get a broad spectrum antibiotic that’s in fluids.”
He said that the turtles tend to stay there for 5 to 9 months before being released back to the ocean.
Adam also said that the ones that stick around longer get named, and they usually work off a yearly theme.
“This year it is Greek mythology,” he added. “Maybe in January you’ll come back and you'll see Zeus swimming around the tanks.”
WBZ NewsRadio’s Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports.
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