65 Baby Turtles Rescued From a Florida Pool
Florida homeowners are likely used to finding all kinds of creatures in their backyards. In fact, it feels like there’s a story in the news every other day about iguanas, alligators, or other Florida wildlife getting removed from residential areas.
But one homeowner got a pretty cute surprise when they went into their Key Largo backyard, according to the Marathon Turtle Hospital. That’s because they walked out to discover 64 baby turtles in their in-ground swimming pool.
The Marathon Turtle Hospital posted about the find on its Instagram page, explaining why the turtles ended up in the unexpected spot in the first place, since the pool was clearly not the intended destination for these sea turtles.
According to the post, they have since been safely relocated, but their story serves as an important reminder about the Sunshine State’s “hatchling season.”
Baby Turtles Had to Be Rescued From a Florida Pool
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While the swimming pool was full of chlorinated water, it doesn’t sound like the turtles were any worse for wear after being rescued. “As hatchling season is still in full effect, this is a good reminder to keep an eye out for these tiny travelers,” the post from The Turtle Hospital read.
“Artificial light can disorient hatchlings and lead them away from the ocean, sometimes ending up in some very unexpected place,” the post continued, telling anyone who finds disoriented hatchlings to call The Turtle Hospital Stranding Hotline at 305-481-7669 or Florida Fish and Wildlife at 888-404-FWCC.
Bette Zirkelbach, general manager at The Turtle Hospital, later spoke to The Dodo about the rescue and how the light disoriented the turtles. “[I]t does seem to be an increasing problem as we develop our coastlines and we have more artificial light with resorts and vacation rentals and homes along our coastlines,” Zirkelbach told the outlet. “That artificial light disorients those babies, so they come out of the nest and they see a bright light and they go towards the light.”
Turtle Nesting Season Runs Through October
According to the Florida State Parks website, turtle hatching season runs from March to October. During this time, volunteers and park staff work together to locate signs of turtle movement so that they can determine whether sea turtles have laid eggs nearby.
Volunteers then patrol these sites to make sure major nesting sites aren’t being disturbed, especially when they are in high-traffic areas, like at popular beach spots. During this time of year, the volunteers and staff also ask nearby businesses and residents to turn off their lights during the night so as to not distract the baby turtles as they make their way to the ocean.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says that Florida is home to a variety of sea turtles, including loggerhead turtles (the most common, and the type that was found in the pool), green turtles, leatherback turtles, Kemp’s ridley (the rarest), and the hawksbill.
Zirkelbach told The Dodo that the turtles were later cleaned up, hydrated with fluids, and released directly into the Gulf Stream, where they immediately appeared to feel right at home.
