Rescue Operations During Covid-19
Few things in the world have remained unaffected by the covid-19 pandemic, and the Mass Audubon sea turtle program is no exception.
“Everything is way different than it was last year,” Prescott said. “It’s not affecting the turtles, it’s only affecting us [trying] to stay healthy, because if any of us get sick, then we’re out and there aren’t that many people involved in this.”
The turtle rescue operation relies on a network of people and organizations working together, and covid-19 has changed how it operates. The people involved are now always thinking about how socially distant they are from one another. Before, for instance, he said that Mass Audubon would have four or five people in the lab weighing, measuring, and boxing up the turtles for transport, yet now there’s only one person handling that work.
Nonetheless, Prescott stressed that covid-19 is not slowing down the group from rescuing turtles. As of Friday morning, the Mass Audubon sea turtle program had rescued 795 turtles.
