Cold-stunned turtles recuperate at Greensboro Science Center

In a back room at the Greensboro Science Center, twin blue tubs serve as temporary housing for four special guests — endangered green sea turtles recuperating from a sudden temperature drop off the North Carolina coast that left hundreds of the reptiles in water too cold for them to swim.


The turtles were “cold stunned,” a condition similar to hypothermia that occurs when the water temperature changes before cold-blooded reptiles, including turtles, can migrate to warmer areas.

According to estimates, more than 600 turtles were cold stunned off the coast this month, including the four recuperating at the science center.

The turtles arrived in Greensboro last week and will stay at the center until they’re strong enough to be released into the wild, part of a statewide rehabilitation effort led by the North Carolina Aquarium.

Eight other green sea turtles are recuperating at Ripley’s Auditorium at Myrtle Beach, S.C., after they washed up on beaches along the Pamlico Sound.
Other sea turtles stunned by cold weather in New England are being treated at the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston.

Hundreds of turtles have already been rehabilitated elsewhere and released. Determining a timeline for that process depends on the individual turtle’s case but also on the weather.

Despite there being prohibition on fishing within a distance of 20km from the beach, experts claim that trawler operators still undertake fishing illegally there.