Man Saves Boatloads Of ‘Stunned’ Animals After He Spotted Shadows in the Waves – Good News Network
From Corpus Christi comes the story of a commercial mariner who developed a passion for saving lives—cold, imperiled, and scaley lives.It started back in 2018 when Captain Brandon Upton was out in the gulf waters during a particularly chilly afternoon, and he saw a dark shadow floating nearby.The owner and operator of Sea Tow, a boating assistance company, Upton thought he had seen everything the Gulf of Mexico could conjure, but soon he saw more dark shapes, and then even more.He realized to his shock that they were sea turtles.“I didn’t touch it, because I know they are endangered and protected,” Upton told the Dodo. “On my way in, I saw more and more sea turtles and was very confused. In all my years on the water, I had never seen anything like it.”Rather than take any actions himself, Upton did the right thing and contacted the relevant animal authorities—in this case, the ecologists at San Padre Island National Seashore, who explained the turtles had been cold-stunned.Cold-stunning is a normal phenomenon in which the cold-blooded turtles fall into a comatose state if the seawater temperatures fall below 56°F. Their heart rate and metabolism plummets, and they float, incapable of moving. This puts them at risk for boat strikes, drowning, and even land predators if the tide and surf should take them onto the beach.Every winter since then, Upton has remained vigilant for potential cold-stunning events. If the water temperatures start to fall too low, Upton will bring an airboat to tow alongside him, into which he will toss any sea turtles he finds.ALSO CHECK OUT: Lacking Ninja Training, Trapped Turtle is Rescued from City Sewer by Police and Firefighters“While sea turtle rescue typically requires special training, we started in an emergency situation,” Upton said. “We picked up two or three boatloads of floating turtles that very first day.”San Padre Island workers receive these cold-stunned animals and place them in a rehabilitation center where their bodies are gradually warmed up to the temperatures needed to restart their systems. Then they’re released.OTHER STORIES FROM THE GULF: Watch 2,200 Cold-Stunned Turtles Being Released by Volunteers Back Into the GulfUpton described his 7 years of pro bono help as “only natural” since he carries around a lot of specialized equipment that makes rescuing turtles easy and is a proud part of the close-knit boating community.He’s an animal lover to boot, and whether it’s “taking a spider outside” or helping cold-stunned turtles, he considers them all like a second family.SEE how many turtles he might rescue in a day…SHARE This Dedicated Mariner’s Love For Turtles With Your Friends… Want A Morning Jolt of Good News?You must be logged in to post a comment.Want A Morning Jolt
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