After a group of baby sea turtles fell into a sewage drain in Bonita Springs, Florida, a local nonprofit dedicated to turtle conservation jumped into action, alerting local authorities, who were able to open the drain and release the 15 turtles, 10 Tampa Bay reported.
Nonprofit Turtle Time, Inc. describes itself as "the Florida state-permitted monitoring organization for sea turtle activity from Fort Myers Beach to the Lee-Collier County line." It lists its responsibilities as "[gathering] important scientific data about population estimates, distribution of nests, nesting patterns, and hatching success rates" as well as helping to transport injured turtles to rehab facilities.
Now, it can add "rescuing baby turtles from a sewage drain" to that list.
Sea turtles around the world face significant threats, including ingesting ocean plastics, poachers and becoming entangled in fishing nets. Six species of sea turtles can be found in U.S. waters — all of them are listed and protected under the Endangered Species Act, per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office went into more detail about the turtle rescue on its Facebook page, explaining that the turtles had become disoriented by some lights that were left on at night and walked in the wrong direction, away from the water, and fell into the sewage drain.
The Facebook post said: "Deputies Ali and Wilson swiftly jumped into action by holding the sewer drain open and using a special tool to pull each one out. Fifteen baby turtles were rescued, cleaned, and then monitored by members of Turtle Time."
Fortunately, the baby turtles were all OK. After Turtle Time washed them off, they were released at sunset and made it safely to the ocean.
As Turtle Time's actions demonstrate, one of the best ways to make an impact and help the environment is to focus your actions locally, helping to watch out for the most vulnerable plants and animals that live in your area.
As Tampa Bay 10 reminded everyone, if you are visiting a beach with baby sea turtles during nesting season, there are several things you should be mindful of: Don't leave anything on the beach, don't use lights at night, fill in any holes you make in the sand, and knock over your sandcastles before leaving.
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