Thanks to your donations, Operation Turtle Takeoff has saved hundreds of cold-stunned sea turtles from the coast of New England and flown them to southern states to recover. 

Endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles like Indiana Dunes and Gateway Arch. These injured turtles made a flight and arrived at Mississippi Aquarium in urgent need of medical care.

Marine biologist examined them and discovered that both were suffering from frostbite and pneumonia. Indiana Dunes is missing some tips of the right front flipper and both hind flippers, while Gateway Arch is missing the right hind flipper and part of the shell. 

With your support, they can recover and return to the open water. It is a long and expensive process to rescue cold-stunned sea turtles, rehabilitate them, and then release them back into the ocean.

Kemp's ridley turtles are the most endangered sea turtle species with only roughly 22,000 remaining. Each year, rehabilitation centers see an influx of cold-stunned turtles in need of care.

According to Mississippi Aquarium, "Turtles are unable to regulate their body temperatures, and when the water temperature becomes too cold, the turtles become weak and have difficulty swimming. They float at the surface of the water, stop eating, suffer from frostbite, and become susceptible to secondary infections as well as other health problems."

Your donation will help fund their recovery and each dollar donated will give you an opportunity to help rename these survivors. We think they deserve new names for their fresh start. Pick your favorite when you make your donation and stay tuned to see what names are chosen. 

We have three name pairs to choose from: 

🐢 Option 1: Lord Flippertons & Duchess Paddlesworth

🐢 Option 2: Leonardo & Michelangelo

🐢 Option 3: Turt Reynolds & Shelly

Donate today to help save sea turtles and help them return to the open water.