Elleda Wilson: In One Ear: Tuesday's turtle
Dec. 2—"It all started on Nov. 16," Tiffany Boothe of the Seaside Aquarium wrote. "A report came through to the Seaside Aquarium about a stranded olive ridley sea turtle near Ocean Park, Washington. The aquarium crew quickly responded, but by the time they arrived the turtle had vanished."
Perhaps someone picked it up — which is highly illegal — assuming it was dead?
But then ... "at 7:30 a.m. on Nov. 21, the aquarium got another report of a stranded turtle, but this time it was a bit further north in Oysterville, Washington." The person reporting was happy to "turtle sit" until the aquarium could get there. Surprise! It was the Tuesday turtle. Tiffany's photo is shown.
But was it alive? "... They can be unresponsive, and their heartbeat can slow to one beat per minute ...," she noted ..." Unfortunately, it was not alive. In fact, only 5% of these cold-stunned turtles survive.
If you find a sea turtle on the beach, call the Seaside Aquarium at 503-738-6211, or the Oregon State Police tipline at 800-452-7888 or the West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network at 866-767-6114. If you can't wait till someone arrives, be sure to tell responders the turtle's coordinates.
"It is still unknown if someone came across the turtle on Nov. 16 and picked it up," Tiffany added, "only to put the turtle back on the beach later in the week, or if the turtle somehow swam back out — something that we have never had happen before."
