America is reeling under the cold wave from a winter storm that has paralyzed lives. Texas is one of the worst affected states, and the deep freeze has affected not just the lives of people but also sea animals. Thousands of turtles washed up on the bays and beaches. They were suffering from cold stun. This condition makes them immobile. As a result, they are left stranded. Volunteers and wildlife officials jumped into action and shifted many of the at-risk turtles to safety. Sea Turtle Inc. is a nonprofit organization that takes care of these animals.

Its volunteers have rescued these turtles from South Padre Island and arranged to house them in its hospital and other locations. The numbers have continued to rise ever since temperatures dropped. An official of Sea Turtle Inc. says - "We have been so pleased with the community acceptance. But all of these efforts will be in vain if we do not soon get power restored to our facility." She is Wendy Knight, the executive director.

CNN confirms power outage is a major problem in the region. That is a reason the facilities are struggling to come to terms with the situation. They have to care for a large number of sea turtles. Dolphins or manatees have the ability to regulate their body temperatures internally.

That helps them to survive despite low temperatures. However, the body temperatures of sea turtles depend on the temperature of the surrounding water. This winter storm has thrown life out of gear in Texas and parts of the United States.

The winter storm and power outages

Texas Game Wardens and the team at Sea Turtle Inc. joined forces to rescue the animals from a location near South Padre Island.

The team used a rescue vessel to collect the turtles and relocate them to nearby facilities. The rescuers were aware of the fact that these turtles are not able to survive in extremely cold temperatures because they become cold-stunned. CNN adds the National Park Service explains when that happens, they become lethargic, lose their sense of direction, and float to the surface or wash up on shore.

They could die from shock or become easy prey for predators, or get killed from boat strikes. New York City had to recently cope with a winter storm and up to six inches of snow.

SpaceX helps to counter the winter storm

Sea Turtle Inc. describes this winter storm as the biggest sea turtle cold-stunning event in south Texas. CNN makes a mention of SpaceX. It provided a generator that could cater to the needs of the organization. Wendy Knight confirmed this. The generator helped the turtles to warm up. Long periods of a power outage have put many of the facility's equipment on the blink. These are heaters and coolers, which are costly items. SpaceX saved the day. Elon Musk owns SpaceX, and he had helped Puerto Rico with solar power in 2017 during Hurricane Maria.

Incidentally, many other animals faced risks because of the storm. Several of them, mostly primates, died in a sanctuary in San Antonio. It had to evacuate many animals to other facilities.

Sea turtles endangered by a winter storm and sub-zero temperatures

According to ABC News, a conservation group that rescues sea turtles along the Gulf of Mexico's coast had a tough time when the winter storm struck. Sea Turtle Inc. is accustomed to handling the situation, but this year, the numbers have grown. On a rough estimate, volunteers in Texas have nearly 5,000 cold-stunned sea turtles. They rescued them from sub-zero temperatures because of the winter storms. The group handles such cases every fall, but this time the numbers were beyond expectations.

Sea turtles are federally protected endangered species. South Padre Island, Texas, is their nesting and habitat destination. Hence, the conservation group is aware of the necessities, but this storm coupled with the power outage aggravated the problems.
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