Outer Banks community volunteers aid in sea turtle rescue

A community effort on the Outer Banks has resulted in the rescue of over 550 cold-stunned sea turtles. 

At the beginning of December, the North Carolina coast experienced a dramatic drop in air and water temperatures. This led to a large number of juvenile sea turtles being cold-stunned, a condition similar to hypothermia. Officials with the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island say there hasn’t been a cold-stunning event like this in nearly ten years.

Thanks to an effort involving volunteers and some long-standing community partnerships, 576 turtles were delivered to the aquarium as of Wednesday. 399 of those have been rehabilitated and released.

The partnerships are part of the Network for Endangered Sea Turtles (N.E.S.T.) They offer multi-tiered support including transportation, veterinary services, and meals. 

Christian Legner is the associate director of the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island. She said this year’s high volume of rescues could not have happened without the community support.

"It really keeps people tied to the biology of the area and the ecology of the area, to really see what's out there, what's living in our sound, what's living in our ocean," said Legner. 

Legner said anyone who suspects they’ve found a cold-stunned sea turtle should call the N.E.S.T. volunteer hotline at 252-441-8622.