Sea turtles return to the Atlantic Ocean off Florida after being stunned by the cold

Advertisement

Advertise with us

JUNO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Eight green sea turtles were released back into the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday, nearly a month after an arctic blast brought a rare snowfall to northern Florida and left the aquatic reptiles suffering from a condition known as cold stunning.

Read this article for free:


or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Subscribe and receive a limited-edition Free Press branded hat or tote.

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $205*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/02/2025 (600 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

JUNO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Eight green sea turtles were released back into the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday, nearly a month after an arctic blast brought a rare snowfall to northern Florida and left the aquatic reptiles suffering from a condition known as cold stunning.

A total of 17 sea turtles found stranded last month along Florida’s northeastern Atlantic Coast were brought to the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, north of West Palm Beach, for rehabilitation.

“There are so many turtles that were affected by that cold stunning event that happened several weeks ago,” lead veterinarian Dr. Heather Barron said. “The cold really suppresses their immune system because they are reptiles, and their body temperature is taken from the surrounding temperature of the water.”

A green sea turtle being treated for cold stunning is seen swimming in a tank at Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, Fla. on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Cody Jackson)
A green sea turtle being treated for cold stunning is seen swimming in a tank at Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, Fla. on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Cody Jackson)

It snowed as far south as northern Florida, which is extremely rare, and the frigid temperatures reached South Florida. More than a dozen additional turtles have been brought to Loggerhead Marinelife Center since the initial group, and other turtle facilities around the state have reached capacity.

Veterinarians have been treating the turtles with antibiotics, fluids and intravenous nutrition. They all suffered from cold stunning, which causes sea turtles to lose mobility and become lethargic. Most of the turtles are expected to be released back into the ocean in a few weeks.

Loggerhead Marinelife Center expects to host over 15,000 people this upcoming weekend at its 20th Annual TurtleFest. The free event focuses on promoting ocean conservation through interactive educational exhibits and marine life.

Report Error Submit a Tip

More Stories

Police looking into robbery of children captured on video

Morgan Modjeski 3 minute read Preview

Police looking into robbery of children captured on video

Morgan Modjeski 3 minute read Friday, Oct. 9, 2026

The Winnipeg Police Service said it is aware of a video circulating online that appears to show two children robbed while walking home from the library.

The mother of the siblings said the Sept. 26 incident, which happened in the area of Andrews Street and Magnus Avenue at around 7:30 p.m., has left her children afraid and her feeling guilty.

“I should have been there with them. I felt horrible,” said Brittany Beaudet. “I would have been out the door if I knew any sooner to help them out.”

In the 40-second video, the two children, 14-year-old Mason and nine-year-old Kenzie, are approached by a man wearing a black shirt, black pants and white shoes.

Read
Friday, Oct. 9, 2026

Puppies, stocks — ‘zoomies’ abound

Andrew Froese 4 minute read Yesterday at 2:01 AM CDT

This spring, I adopted a three-month-old rescued German Shepherd mix. To say she is easily excitable is an understatement.

It is not really her fault. A puppy’s frontal cortex, the part of the brain that helps with decision-making and impulse control, is still developing. When an older dog, or a human, gets tired, we generally understand we should rest. Puppies have not quite figured that out. They often interpret tiredness as a signal something is wrong, which makes them more alert, more reactive and harder to settle.

That creates a feedback loop. The puppy gets tired, which makes her frantic, which makes her more tired, which makes her even more frantic. Eventually, this becomes what people call the “zoomies”: frantic sprinting, biting, jumping and general chaos.

From the outside, it looks like the puppy has too much energy. In reality, the opposite is true. The zoomies are not a sign of excess energy. They are a sign the puppy is overtired and does not know it yet.

Stuart-Stevenson tandem gives Jets time for best Hellebuyck trade deal

Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe 8 minute read Preview

Stuart-Stevenson tandem gives Jets time for best Hellebuyck trade deal

Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe 8 minute read Friday, Oct. 9, 2026

A weekly lap around the NHL by Free Press hockey writers Ken Wiebe and Mike McIntyre

The New York Islanders are first-overall. The Calgary Flames are in the league basement.

We’re talking about goaltending, specifically the metric of “goals against above expected” as tracked by the Money Puck website which factors in shot quality and location and is a much better measure than traditional numbers such as goals-against-average and even save percentage, which can be heavily influenced by team factors.

In a nutshell, you want to be as high as possible on this list, suggesting your masked men are doing their job by stopping everything they should — and hopefully a few more. The lower you are in the 32-team league, the more likely you have a leaky crease.

Read
Friday, Oct. 9, 2026

Phoneless concert a beautiful chance to bask in moment

Jen Zoratti 5 minute read Preview

Phoneless concert a beautiful chance to bask in moment

Jen Zoratti 5 minute read Yesterday at 2:01 AM CDT

Outside the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, digital billboards flashed fans their singular photo op for the night: “I took this photo before I saw Phoebe Bridgers: The Lost Tour 2026.”

It is, as it is for so many other people, my only documentation of a concert by one of my favourite artists. The American singer-songwriter — who I discovered at the Winnipeg Folk Festival in 2018 — has had a meteoric rise in the past few years, winning three Grammys in 2024 as one third of Boygenius, the indie-rock supergroup rounded out by Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker, and opening for Taylor Swift on select dates of her titanic Eras Tour.

Now, Bridgers is touring in support of Lost Weekend, her third album and first since 2020’s Punisher. It’s a feat of a record, a richly textured meditation on loss and grief, written in the aftermath of the death of her dad, with whom she had a complicated relationship.

So she is in a position to not only play multiple sold-out arena shows, but also insist that those shows be phone-free.

Read
Yesterday at 2:01 AM CDT

Today’s horoscope

Georgia Nicols 4 minute read Preview

Today’s horoscope

Georgia Nicols 4 minute read 2:00 AM CDT

MOON ALERT: Avoid shopping (except food and gas) and important decisions until after 10:45 a.m. After that, the moon moves from Libra into Scorpio.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

You have a choice. You can either get embroiled in disputes about shared property, debt, insurance issues or inheritances; or instead, relax and have a playful day featuring sporting events, social outings and fun activities with kids.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Read
2:00 AM CDT

Is this the season of secession?

David McLaughlin 5 minute read Preview

Is this the season of secession?

David McLaughlin 5 minute read Yesterday at 2:01 AM CDT

Canada has entered its season of secession. Like El Nino, the currents of grievance can blow hot and cold. Today, they are hot. But how hot for how long? The odds of Alberta and now Quebec separating from Canada are not high, but they are never zero.

After a year of waving the flag in a surge of national patriotism to confront Donald Trump’s attacks on Canada — economic and verbal — it is both jarring and frustrating for most Canadians to be reminded of the pervasive and persistent tensions that come with governing our federation.

When we need new national purpose to confront big economic sovereignty and security challenges from outside, that purpose is undermined and diminished by having to confront homegrown grievances.

We’ve seen and seen off two separation referendums in Quebec. Now we have a newly elected separatist party coming to power. In Alberta, voters will soon decide whether the independence road is one they want to travel.

Read
Yesterday at 2:01 AM CDT