CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Amos Rehabilitation Keep held a sea turtle release at Tony Amos city beach on September 10.
The record number of loggerhead sea turtles stranded on Texas beaches have hit an all time high with at least 282 since April of this year, according to the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service.
Experts spoke with 3NEWS and discussed the latest efforts to find the mysterious cause.
UT Marine Science Institute, Reserve Director Jace W. Tunnell stated, "It's part of the big stranding that's been going on across Texas over the last five months. And so, we have probably 18 more loggerheads at the rehab facility."
The ARK has released 8 sea turtles in total, 1 of those being a loggerhead who has been in their care for quite sometime and is now finally healthy enough to be released back into the ocean.
Senior Outreach Coordinator, Alicia Walker says releasing the turtles unaware of the cause of the strandings is a big concern, but they are now prepared to discover some long awaited answers.
Walker told 3NEWS, "We give them the best shot possible. We make sure that they've gained a ton of weight to give them some extra time to find more food, all of their blood work looks great, so that they are at tip-top shape when we release them."
The release was packed with many attendees, including a 6 year old named Lila Murphy, a granddaughter of one of the Amos Rehabilitation Keep volunteers.
Murphy was asked by 3NEWS, what her favorite part of the release was. She responded, "Watching them go in the water." Murphy also shared why she enjoys the releases so much. "Turtles are my favorite animals. Cause their babies are so cute."
Experts note, If local rehab facilities reach full capacity with so many stranded loggerheads, some may need to be flown out to other centers in Florida. There is enough space for now but there will soon be a new method to find the cause.
"We're going to be able to put a tracker on one of the loggerheads coming up this next week in partnership with Dr. Donna Shaver and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife and hopefully try and see where these are going and maybe why they're washing up." Tunnel explains.
Walker adds, "We need to figure out what happens when they're back out, where they go and what they're encountering. And so, satellite transmitters are the best way to be able to discover that information."
Walker reminds the public if a sea turtle is found, to please report the location by calling 1-866-TURTLE-5.
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