In the last 20 years the number of stranded The number of sea turtles has increased in the waters off the northeast coast of the United States. As a result, specialized animal hospitals in the New England region now treat many sea turtles. Some species of these animals are critically endangered.

When the weather warms, the turtles move into waters like Cape Cod Bay. But when temperatures drop, they can’t escape to move south, Adam Kennedy said. He is the rescue director and rehabilitation in New England aquarium.

The aquarium operates a turtle hospital in Quincy, Massachusetts. On Dec. 3, Kennedy said more than 200 young turtles needed treatment there. The animals had been stunned through the cold.

Every fall and winter, cold-stricken sea turtles wash up on the shores of Cape Cod. Kennedy said aquarium staff expect the number of turtles they save to rise to at least 400. He said the average in 2010 was 40.

Kennedy said: “Climate change definitely is.” allow “There are so many turtles that they are coming to places where numbers weren’t usually very high years ago.” He added that strong winds and falling temperatures had caused the recent strandings.

In the early 2010s, the five-year average of cold-stunned sea turtles in Massachusetts was about 200. In recent years, that number has grown to more than 700. These numbers come from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

All of the turtles at the New England Aquarium hospital are young. Most of them are the critically endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtles. The migration The loss of these turtles often results in them becoming stranded in the New England area. However, some are green sea turtles or loggerhead turtles, which are not as endangered.

Kemp’s Ridley is the smallest sea turtle in the world. The turtles live primarily in the Gulf of Mexico. But as young animals they travel to the North Atlantic. A 2019 study in the scientific publication PLoS One said that warming oceans increase the likelihood that turtles will be stunned by the cold in the waters of the northwest Atlantic. The study found that warmer water could push the turtles north, increasing the likelihood of stranding.

Melissa Joblon is director of animal health at the New England Aquarium. She said most turtles that arrive at the center are sick: “Most turtles arrive with serious illnesses complaints such as pneumonia, dehydration, traumatic injury or sepsis.”

The turtle hospital treats the animals so they can be released back into the wild. Kennedy said they would be moved to local waters or even moved south to warmer waters. He said about 80 percent survive.

“At the end of the day, what we do and what we want,” Kennedy said, “is to put these turtles back in the wild. We want them back in the sea.”

I’m Anna Matteo.

Patrick Whittle reported this story for the Associated Press from Portland, Maine. Anna Matteo adapted the report for VOA Learning English.

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Words in this story

stranded –adj. not being able to leave a place

rehabilitation -N. the process of restoring a person or living being to health after an accident or illness

aquarium -N. a place that displays and cares for fish and other marine life

stun –v. by or as if by a blow to render unconscious, dazed or dizzy

allow –v. make something happen

migration -N. to the regular movement of animals from one place to another to find food or better weather conditions

Suffer -N. a disease or condition that causes pain or poor health

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