Help protect sea turtles as nesting season begins in South Texas

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — We are once again at the time when we need to talk about nesting season for sea turtles.  There are a lot of species in our area, including the endangered Kemp’s Ridley.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service is urging beach visitors to stay vigilant.

Some of the biggest threats sea turtles face, other animals is one of them, but also vehicles driving down the beach.

On your next visit to the beach, keep an eye out, because you might just see one of these little gals making their way onshore.

Just last year, the Padre Island National Seashore saw a record number of green sea turtles laying their eggs.

“One of the great things about living on the coast is the sea turtle population that’s here.  This is some of the only nesting habitat for the Kemps Ridley Sea Turtle which is one of the most endangered species in the world,” said Jesse Gilbert, the president and CEO of the Texas State Aquarium.

The aquarium is a great place to learn all about the types of sea turtles we see here along our local coast.

Right next door to the attraction, their new Center for Wildlife Rescue.

“This is a state of the art rescue center, state of the art medical tech, some of the only tech like it in the state of Texas,” he said.

An interesting fact about sea turtles is that they enter a ‘trance like’ state when nesting and are vulnerable to threats.

If they end up getting injured by a predator, or even moving cars on the beach, they can end up at the rescue.

“Turtles, once they get on land, they’re not very graceful. They’re meant to be out in the ocean so any stumbling block can be a real issue for them. We want to make sure the beach is as clear as possible, not only of holes, but debris,” said Gilbert.

A loggerhead was discovered in distress near Cole Park earlier this week.

“It had a full workup by the veterinarians at the aquarium, pretty significant shoulder injuries, that’s why it’s not swimming around as much right now,” he said.

An x-ray revealed she also had a fracture to a bone in her front left flipper.

The aquarium’s vet team will care for her for the next few months and they expect a full recovery.

Meantime, drive slow, stay alert, cover any holes you dig in the sand, and report sightings because every turtle counts.

Nesting season runs through the end of summer.

If you come across a turtle nest that isn’t marked or you spot a stranded turtle, stay back.  The US Fish and Wildlife Service asks that you quickly report it by calling 1-866-‘TURTLE’-5 and stay at the scene until a biologist arrives.

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