The Sad Reality of Cold-Stunning
It’s one thing to understand the science behind what happens to the stunned turtles, but stunned turtles can also end up in serious trouble. It’s heartbreaking and terrifying. When a turtle comes up to the surface, it can be overwhelmed by the waves and the wind, causing it to go back down underwater again. Turtles can hold their breath for three or four hours, Prescott said, but have to come up to breathe afterwards. When they come up to breathe, they’re pushed closer and closer to the shore.
“When they finally wash up, if we’re not there to pick them up, they would die,” Prescott said.
In fact, when people other than the sanctuary staff or volunteers find cold-stunned turtles, many think they’re dead. Prescott said it’s normal for an untrained person to believe that, because the turtles unfortunately really do look terrible. They’re usually covered in algae, exhibit zero behavior, and take as few as one breath per minute.
