Hypothermic turtle revived after rescue from Bay of Fundy shore, shipped south – Halifax

An endangered green sea turtle found on a Nova Scotia beach has been revived and shipped back to warmer waters after nearly dying in the frigid Bay of Fundy.

Scottie was given her name after she was found on Nov. 16 on a beach near Scots Bay and was hypothermic and semi-comatose from exposure to the cold and powerful currents.

Kathleen Martin, director of the Canadian Sea Turtle Network, says Scottie was brought to Dalhousie University veterinarian Chris Harvey-Clark, who helped warm the turtle, provide her nourishment and ensure she was ready for a plane ride in a modified cat container.

Scottie is now at the Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo, where she’ll remain until she’s well enough to return to the wild, and hopefully reproduce over a lifetime that could last 75 years.

Martin says there are increasing instances of green sea turtles being found on Nova Scotia beaches as the Gulf of Maine warms, but, unlike Scottie, many don’t survive for long.

Harvey-Clark says it was worth sending the juvenile turtle to warmer waters via an Air Canada flight, because over its lifetime the endangered animal could repeatedly produce offspring.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 24, 2023.