Turtles on the move: Young sea turtle rescued in North Myrtle Beach
A juvenile sea turtle covered with three pounds of “packed sand” was rescued in North Myrtle Beach and taken to a care center for treatment.
Nala, a 13.4-pound green sea turtle, is the first of the season to be rescued in North Myrtle Beach, according to the North Myrtle Beach Sea Turtle Patrol group.
Folks with the turtle patrol rescued Nala this weekend at 14th Avenue South and she was taken to the Sea Turtle Care Center in Charleston, said Linda Mataya with North Myrtle Beach Sea Turtle Patrol.
“Sea turtles normally are not found on the beach,” Mataya said, adding the only times they are on shore are when they are sick, injured, dying or a nesting female.
Nala’s 16.42-inch carapace was covered with 3.5 pounds of wet, compacted sand when she was found Sunday. She relaxed overnight in a water bed to get warmer and was expected to go into a regular tank Monday, Mataya said.
Sea turtle nesting season officially starts May 1 and lasts through Aug. 15 around the Grand Strand, Mataya said. Hatchlings will start to emerge from July through October. The nesting season could start early this year, she said, since the area experienced a warm winter.
The NMB Sea Turtle Patrol warned in a Facebook post that turtles are on the move. Mataya said turtles are cold-blooded, so they need warmer weather to move. Fresh water turtles stay buried in the mud during cold weather, while sea turtles migrate to the Gulfstream or move to warmer waters south of the area and move up the coast as the water warms, she said.
Mataya said folks should follow these steps if they come across a sea turtle:
- Leave the turtle alone and never push it back into the ocean.
- Call the NMB Sea Turtle Patrol at 843-213-9074 if it is found in North Myrtle. Call local authorities if a turtle is found on another beach.
- If you hook a sea turtle, do not remove the hook or toss the turtle back into the water with a hook and line attached. Call authorities and do not pull the turtle up by the hook. “Piers have special drop nets to net the turtle from underneath,” she said.
- If you come across a nesting turtle, leave it alone and do not get close or touch her. Do not shine a light on the nesting turtle, Mataya said. “It is OK to watch from a distance,” she said.
- Never put a turtle into the ocean. If it happens to be a freshwater turtle, salt water can harm or kill them.
This story was originally published April 1, 2019 at 11:24 AM.
