A convention center full of cold-stunned sea turtles on South Padre Island Texas. These turtles will be protected, gradually warmed and rehabilitated by Sea Turtle Inc. and eventually released back into the Gulf of Mexico. (Photo Courtesy of Amy Bonka)While earning her doctoral degree in the Department of Biology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Dr. Amy Bonka worked on remote sea turtle nesting beaches ranging from Mexico to Indonesia. Despite all her experience, nothing could have prepared her for what she has experienced over the past week: the largest sea turtle cold-stunning event ever recorded in Texas.
Dr. Bonka received her Ph.D. from UAB in the summer of 2020 studying two of the most endangered sea turtles in the world. In December 2020, she accepted a position as the Chief Conservation Officer for Sea Turtle Inc., a conservation and education organization that monitors sea turtle nesting, stranding and rehabilitation on South Padre Island, Texas. Dr. Bonka was well aware of the previous cold-stunning events that occurred in south Texas and the possibility that Sea Turtle Inc. may have to handle several hundred sea turtles during those events. However, no one anticipated the magnitude of the cold-stunning event that occurred along the Texas coast last week: the largest ever on record.
(Photo Courtesy of Amy Bonka)Due to the cold-stunning event, thousands of turtles have been washing up on the shores of Texas and many others have been found floating helplessly at the water’s surface. The majority of these incidents have occurred in south Texas, in particular South Padre Island. According to Sea Turtle Inc., “cold stunning” occurs when sudden drops in air and water temperature cause sea turtles to go into a hypothermic shock. Without assistance from conservationists, many of these turtles would perish. Over the past week, Sea Turtle Inc. has collected between 4,000-5,000 cold-stunned sea turtles, and they have resorted to using the South Padre Island Convention Center to house thousands of turtles. These turtles will be protected – gradually warmed and rehabilitated – and eventually released back into the Gulf of Mexico.
“Fortunately for these thousands of sea turtles, Dr. Bonka and the full crew of dedicated conservationists from Sea Turtle Inc. are currently working around the clock to ensure these turtles will survive and will be able to resume their long lives in the Gulf of Mexico,” said Dr. Thane Wibbels, professor in the UAB Department of Biology.
Dr. Amy Bonka, a recent graduate of UAB Department of Biology who has recently become the Chief Conservation Officer for Sea Turtle Inc. on South Padre Island Texas. She and the dedicated crew of conservationists are working around the clock to save the thousands of cold-stunned sea turtles. (Photo Courtesy of Amy Bonka)
