A total of 24 cold-stunned rare and endangered sea turtles were rescued off Cape Cod Bay beaches between Sunday afternoon and early this morning, one of the largest single-day totals ever, according to Massachusetts Audubon Society Wellfleet sanctuary director Robert Prescott.Five turtles were shipped Sunday to the New England Aquarium in Boston for treatment and rehabilitation - and of those, four died.As of this morning, four more endangered Kemp's ridley turtles had died at the Wellfleet sanctuary. The remaining 15, which were all ridley's except for one green sea turtle, were taken to the New England Aquarium today. At least two of those were dead on arrival, meaning their heartbeats were lower than one beat per minute.The aquarium is currently treating 52 sea turtles - one loggerhead, four greens and 47 Kemp's ridley turtles, according to spokesman Tony LaCasse.The sea turtles should already be headed back to warmer southern waters on their annual migration route, but they sometimes get caught by a change in the water and air temperature as the fall heads into winter.Their metabolisms shut down and winds push them up onto beaches where wind chill and dehydration can prove fatal.Audubon staff and volunteers patrol beaches regularly when winds blow onshore and water temperatures drop below 50 degrees.As a cold front, bringing high winds, swept over the Cape this weekend, Audubon sanctuary staff and trained volunteers marshaled to walk night patrols from Dennis to Wellfleet.They were aided by volunteers during the day and received numerous tips from others walking the beaches, Massachusetts Audubon naturalist Dennis Murley said. Most of the turtles were found on Brewster beaches.
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