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Published
by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. CLICK FOR NEWSPAPER DELIVERY
Friday, August 24, 2001
Last turtle hatchlings die
Six hawksbills were found washed ashore on Mustang and north Padre Islands
By Lety Laurel
Caller-Times
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| George Tuley/Caller-Times |
| Tony Amos, a research associate and director of the Animal Rehabilitation Keep facility at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute, holds a hawksbill turtle at the institute. Six much smaller hatchlings that washed ashore this week have died. |
PORT ARANSAS - The last of six hawksbill turtle hatchlings that washed ashore on Mustang Island and north Padre Island this week died Thursday.
When the 1- to 2-month-old hatchlings began washing ashore Saturday, half of them were already dead. Limbs had been bitten off of some of the palm-sized turtles, and nearly all of them were so thin that the bottoms of their shells were caved in. Those that came ashore alive were starving and dehydrated.
Although turtles wash up every year, so many turtles washing up at one time was alarming, said Donna Shaver, station leader of the U.S. Geological Survey Padre Island Field Research Station.
Paul Krueger found it hard to believe when he saw two washed-up hatchlings in one day. He drove past one, thinking it was debris. The second one was unmistakable, he said.
"The one I looked at was totally dried up," he said. "It looked like he starved to death. He was nothing but shell, bone and skin."
Scientists believe the turtles are from Mexico, where they likely were hatched.
The hawksbill turtle's status has not changed since 1970 when it was listed as endangered, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service, a branch of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. Because it is a solitary nester, population trends are difficult to determine, the organization states.
The peak year for strandings was 1990, when 53 hatchlings of various species were stranded on the Texas coast. So far this year, eight hatchlings have been found in the state.
The largest number of strandings occur during August and September.
"This happens every year," said Tony Amos, a research associate and director of the Animal Rehabilitation Keep facility at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute. "I'm always concerned with the turtles, but I'm not surprised that they are coming in.
Most turtles that wash ashore die before they are found, Amos said.
"When they are sick, they're like us and they don't eat," he said. "Either they are unable to or they have no motivation. They get thinner and thinner and eventually they are so weak they can't swim against any currents or tides and they wash ashore."
Those that are found alive must be taken immediately to a rehabilitation facility, so it is important that they be reported, Shaver said. Even dead turtles should be reported, she said.
How you can help
To report a turtle on shore,. immediately call a wildlife rescuer.
South of Packery Channel, call biologist Donna Shaver at 949-8173, extension 226.
North of Packery Channel, call Tony Amos at 749-6720.
Do not touch the turtle, but stay with the animal until a rescuer arrives, if possible.
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"When they're washed ashore, they're helpless," she said. "The longer they sit on the beach undetected, the less chance they have of survival between the heat, birds and passing vehicles."
Amos said not all turtles are victims of human influence. "Nature has a way of consuming most of them," he said.
The three hatchlings that were found alive were treated for dehydration, emaciation and shock, said Andi Wickham, ARK rehabilitation coordinator.
"We gave them fluids and medicine and tried to get them back again," she said. "Hawksbills normally do well, but these were so thin and almost dead. It is easier to treat a 100-pound turtle than a 30-gram turtle."
Contact Lety Laurel at 886-3716 or laurell@caller.com
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