Grant Lodes, NBC koa.com 9 Apr 09;
An abnormal number of sea turtles are washing up along the Florida shoreline and experts don't know why.
Three turtles are in rehab on Sanibel Island at CROW - the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife. Workers at CROW love turtles, but don't like having them at their Sanibel rehab facility.
"We're providing them a quiet environment, the right diet, supplements, and meds if they need it," said Dr. Amber McNamara, a CROW veterinarian.
She says having two turtles at CROW is rare and she has never seen three there at once.
"The number of turtles coming in everywhere is certainly concerning," she explained.
Right now, CROW is home to a 70 pound loggerhead turtle. They also have two green turtles that weigh about 10 pounds each.
The two smaller green turtles were found washed ashore along the northeast coast of Florida.
The larger loggerhead was rescued about 20 nautical miles off the coast of Tampa. Fishermen pulled it on board after they found it floating near the surface surrounded by sharks.
"Nobody is sure whether they've gotten into some toxin, some bacteria, or viral or fungus component or maybe a combination. But hopefully we can find some answers soon," McNamara said.
Since mid-February, 180 loggerhead and green turtles have been beached or rescued at sea throughout Florida. Fifty of those were alive and are currently rehabbing at eight different facilities.
"The loggerhead is eating several pounds of squid a day in addition to some crabs," said McNamara.
She says the loggerhead and one of the greens are progressing well and could be released in a few weeks.
"When that moment comes, even though you've grown attached to them in some ways, you know they're going back into the wild and that's the most rewarding thing," she said.
In the meantime, the turtles continue rehabbing as sea-life experts continue trying to identify the problem.
