Space – the final frontier (Star Trek music plays in the background….)
Maybe, but if you’re a sea turtle the chances of blasting to the moon are slim to none. However there is another frontier - our oceans - and our turtles have been exploring it for eons. They’ve seen things we humans will never see and they’re telling us about what’s going on out there in countless, often graphic ways. But that’s a topic for discussion at some other time.
Right now the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center has 105 turtles under our care and about 90 percent of them need names. If you follow us you know our patients are never just a number to our staff. But when they arrive in droves like they do in the winter months they often come in with a number painted on their carapace for their official record. We’ve had our latest crop of cold stuns for almost a month now so it’s time to start giving them names because frankly numbers just don’t “click” with us. But what to call them?
The answer was right there in front of us when one of our locals, Christina Koch came back to earth, literally, after setting all kinds of records during her time in space. We’ve decided to honor her and the brave group of space men and women from the earliest days of NASA by ascribing their names to our very own ocean explorers – our “Aquanauts!”
They have a lot in common. They all start out on land, but something inside drives them to head out and search for more because they know there is more. They press on regardless of the perils that lie ahead. They have to be resourceful to overcome the unexpected and to “keep swimming” no matter what happens on their journey into the unknown. You’re out there alone, and there’s always the possibility (or if you’re a sea turtle the probability) that you will not come back. Life is scary, but being scared is no life at all.
Now Jean and our staff begin the huge task of renaming about 90 turtles formerly known as numbers like as 13, 2025 and 31 to Shepard, Glenn, Armstrong, and McAuliffe. We’ve already assigned “Koch” her official aquanaut name. When you visit us this spring you’ll probably be surprised to learn how many of these names you’ll recognize. We are proud to have our patients bear the names of these heroic men and women. We feel the honor befits both them and the courage of our patients.
We’re hoping that with the continuing warm weather we won’t have any more mass cold stunning events but you never know.
Here’s the info just in case you find one of these unfortunate critters. Just because a turtle is not moving it doesn’t necessarily mean it is dead. It might just be cold stunned. If it’s a little guy gently pick it up and relocate it to a car, garage or other unheated area of your home. DO NOT try to warm it up – the shock of a quick temperature change could send it into shock. We’ll send our staff out to rescue any and all turtles, big and small when you give us the word. Call one of the following numbers if you suspect you’ve come across a local cold-stunned turtle: Hospital contacts are Terry Meyer @ 910-470-2880 and Jean Beasley @ 910-470-2800 . We will also pick up on the hospital line ( 910-329-0222 ) if the call comes into us during normal hospital hours. The state of NC has a stranding hotline that picks up 24/7: 252-241-7367
We are closed to the public until further notice. Our opening date is uncertain because of the huge patient load but we’ll keep you informed. Thank you for supporting us. We couldn’t do it without you!
By Karen Sota, The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabiliation Center
