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Don Lewis, Massachusetts Audubon Society,
Fox Island Wildlife Management Area

Three for Boston — 1 December 2000

This morning’s tide, augmented by a 20-mph northwest wind, delivered three live Kemp’s ridley sea turtles on the shores of Brewster and Dennis: one at Linnell Landing, another at Ellis Breach, and a third at Cold Storage.

Internal body temperatures of this batch of turtles registered around 40 degrees Fahrenheit.  The last four ridleys, which came ashore on the 29th at Duck Harbor, have all died.  Examinations showed critically low glucose levels, among other serious medical conditions, and these turtles were assessed in as poor condition as had ever been seen.

So, to ensure the most aggressive treatment for today’s three, they were immediately dispatched to the New England Aquarium in Boston with the help of the National Marine Fisheries Service.