Rescued Sea Turtles Need Your Help!

Though you may not see them all the time, Texas is full of unique animals. Some, like sea turtles are with us year round, but your chances of spotting one in the wild are much higher during the summer which is sea turtle nesting season! There are 5 species of sea turtles inhabiting the Gulf of Mexico, all of which are considered to be either threatened or endangered. They include the Kemp’s ridley, green, leatherback, Atlantic hawksbill, and loggerhead sea turtles.

One of the main threats that sea turtles face is plastic pollution that ends up in our waterways, eventually working its way into the ocean. Just last week our partners at NOAA Fisheries responded to four calls of sea turtles in need of rescue. Two of these sea turtles were accidentally caught by fishermen – a large loggerhead at Seawolf Park, and a small Kemp’s ridley at 61st Street Pier. The other two sea turtles recovered by NOAA were entangled in plastic debris. A Kemp’s ridley was found in Surfside Thursday morning tangled up in balloon strings along with other trash, and yet another Kemp’s ridley was found on the beach connected to the lid of a trashcan by a shoelace. Many of these turtles were brought to the Houston Zoo, where our veterinary team was able to perform hook removals and provide health check-ups before NOAA took them back to Galveston. Luckily all of these sea turtles are expected to make full recoveries at NOAA’s facility, where they will remain until they are healthy enough to be released back into the wild. On average, the Houston Zoo provides care to 80 stranded or injured sea turtles a year – that’s over 500 turtles since 2010!

Thanks to the hard work of many local organizations, our once decreasing sea turtle population is on a slow path to recovery, but we need your help to keep them safe. You can help sea turtles in a number of ways, but the biggest action you can take is to help reduce the amount of plastic that makes it into the ocean! Here are some tips:

1. Blow bubbles not balloons! Remember, every balloon that is released into the outdoors will eventually find its way back to the ground – bubbles are a safe and fun alternative.
2. Taking a stroll on the beach? Bring a bag with you and pick up trash as you walk along the shore
3. Reduce your plastic use! Opt for reusable shopping bags and water bottles whenever possible.
4. Try going plastic straw free the next time you dine out – simply tell your waiter you would like to skip the straw.

And remember, if you accidentally catch or spot a sea turtle on the beach, call 1-866-TURTLE-5. Thanks for helping to save sea turtles in the wild!

For the 11th annual Wildlife Conservation Gala at the Houston Zoo, we’re shining a spotlight on the species and habitats of the Lone Star State! We’ll come together as Texans to raise the funds our Zoo needs to keep saving Texas wildlife like sea turtles.