An adult male Olive Ridley sea turtle is being cared for at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport after being found “cold stunned” and stranded Sunday at Beachside State Park north of Yachats.
The aquarium said Monday that the turtle had a body temperature of below 60 degrees – 15 degrees below a normal temperature for the animal. Over the next several days, staff will transfer the turtle to increasingly warm baths to raise his temperature without shocking his system, it said.
“While initial exams and x-rays suggest the turtle is in decent physical condition, his prognosis remains guarded,” the aquarium said in a Facebook post.
The aquarium issued a “huge thanks” to the person who reported the stranding and asked the public if they find any sea turtle washed ashore to call Oregon State Police at 800-452-7888 or the Marine Mammal Stranding Network at 1-866-767-6114.
The aquarium rescued an Olive Ridley sea turtle found near Coos Bay in October 2022, got it stabilized and had it flown to SeaWorld in San Diego by a volunteer pilot with non-profit Turtles Fly Too. The staff at SeaWorld helped the turtle – dubbed “Pumpkin” — build up the strength and activity level before successfully returning her to the ocean.
Olive Ridley sea turtles are relatively small compared to other sea turtle species, averaging 100 pounds in weight and measuring 2–2.5 feet in length. It has a gray-green heart-shaped shell.
