This winter has been especially harsh for people living in North America. Aside from humans, however, wildlife populations have also been having a difficult time due to a recent winter storm.
In the Florida Panhandle region, wildlife such as seat turtles and pelicans have been fighting a losing battle against the harsh winter storm that started last week. Many animals in the area have been dying and getting injured due to the storm. By Friday, the worst part of the storm has passed and scientists have only recently become aware of the impact the storm had on the local flora and fauna.
Since the storm died down last Friday, scientists, conservationists and volunteers have already found around 130 sea turtles that have been affected by the storm. The turtles were rescued from the beaches along the area and many suffered injuries. Since these sea turtles are classified as endangered, scientists are worried about the long-term effects of the incident on sea turtle populations in the area. Over 12 dead sea turtles have also been recovered.
Sea turtles do not fare very well in extremely cold environments. When exposed to cold, such as during a harsh winter storm, these turtles go into a catatonic state that can often lead to death. This condition is similar to the way a human starts to suffer from the effects of hypothermia when exposed to extreme cold. While other large marine animals such as dolphins can handle cold temperatures to an extent, turtles do not have the capacity to keep themselves warm.
Staffers and volunteers from a number of organizations such as the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, The University of Florida, the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve and the Gulf Islands National Seashore have been giving their best efforts to save the turtles. However, closed bridges have hampered the rescue efforts.
"With all the bridges being closed, we were not able to do what we really needed to do," said biologist Mark Nicholas in a statement to a local Pensacola news agency. "Time is of the essence."
Most of the turtles that have been rescued are Green sea turtles. As the rescue efforts continue, the search teams expect to find more turtles along the Florida beaches.
