The baby turtles hid underground from the winter temperatures in their nest chambers and survived for months off of their yolk sacs.
More than 800 baby turtle hatchlings have been rescued from underground storm drains along the Jersey shore. A good Samaritan pulled the baby reptiles to safety, People reported.
Since their arrival, the diamondback terrapin hatchlings – all 826 of them – are being cared for at Stockton University’s vivarium, which it announced on its Facebook page on Wednesday. The school noted that the baby turtles hid underground from the winter temperatures in their nest chambers and survived for months off of their yolk sacs, People reported.
According to the university, the rescuers are always actively looking for animals in need. The babies are so small and can easily slip through the cracks of a storm drain. During the spring, the young turtles are known to cross the street and many have trouble getting up the curb so rescuers are always on the lookout, according to the university.
The baby reptiles were rescued by a homemade scooper, which the team made by attaching a telescopic aquarium net to a bamboo pole. According to their Facebook post, the rescuers were pleased that their invention worked.
Currently, there are 1,108 terrapins, not including the 826 that were recently captured. Over the next year, the vivarium team at Stockton University along with the Wetlands Institute plan on rehabilitating the baby turtles before releasing them back into the wild.
