VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Virginia Aquarium has reported an unprecedented response this season, admitting 77 cold-stunned sea turtles from November 2024 to early 2025.
According to the aquarium, responses are more than twice the recent seasonal averages of cold-stunned sea turtles, with 31 strandings in the 2023-2024 season, and 25 reported during 2022-2023.
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This season, 27 live turtles were brought to the Darden Marine Animal Conservation Center for rehabilitation, a center located inside the Virginia Aquarium.
After receiving appropriate treatment, the turtles were transported to warmer waters in North Carolina and Florida.
Eight sea turtles unfortunately died within the first few hours of receiving treatment at the center.
But of the 77 cold-stunned strandings, only two turtles remain in the aquarium's care.
