During the past month, Texas has been under cold weather like it's never seen before. The cities are not equipped to handle the icy weather, so heroic efforts must be made in order to keep both people and animals alive and well. In this case, turtles needed a little extra guidance when it comes to below freezing. Sea Turtle Inc. a rehabilitation center for the shelled creatures, used their team of volunteers to rescue nearly 5,000 sea turtles on South Padre Island in the Gulf.
There is a process known as "cold stunning" in turtles. Once a turtle experiences a temperature below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, it can go comatose. Here, sea turtles live year-round in sunny Texas weather.
Once collected by the volunteers, turtles were placed in a warm kiddie pool to keep them at normal heat. Meanwhile, hundreds of patrol boats were scouring the shores and waters for even more lost shells.
"It is a huge, huge community effort," said Gina McLellan, a 71-year-old volunteer in an interview with The Washington Post. "We very often don’t even think about the cold’s impact on animals, because we’re so worried about our own electricity and water. With this kind of event, it’s a classic display of humanity toward animals."
The community, thankfully, has heard the cries of those less fortunate. Shelter animals like cats and dogs have been taken into foster care or shipped to northern states for warmth. With a little creative thinking and dedicated teams, anyone can save a life in Texas.