Dr. Russell Todd Crawford is an accomplished Virginia Beach psychotherapist who offers consultation to couples, families, and individuals in a private practice setting. In his personal life, Russell Todd Crawford has a longstanding interest in animal welfare and has volunteered in rehabilitating threatened marine animals, such as sea lions and sea turtles.
The frigid temperatures in the U.S. Southeast associated with unusually harsh winter storms have had a major effect on sea turtle populations. With temperatures reaching minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit, the cold-blooded reptiles’ circulatory systems have slowed to a critical point, where eating and swimming become impossible. According to the manager of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s aquatic biology and sea turtle program, this either kills the turtles outright or leaves them floating in the water, helpless.
The aquarium has taken an active role in rescuing sea turtles that have been washed ashore at Tampa Bay-area beaches such as Sand Key and Indian Rocks Beach. In critical condition, these cold-stunned turtles are administered oxygen, antibiotics, food, and other nutrients and given round-the-clock care. Similar efforts to save sea turtles washed ashore have occurred in locations such as North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
The frigid temperatures in the U.S. Southeast associated with unusually harsh winter storms have had a major effect on sea turtle populations. With temperatures reaching minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit, the cold-blooded reptiles’ circulatory systems have slowed to a critical point, where eating and swimming become impossible. According to the manager of the Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s aquatic biology and sea turtle program, this either kills the turtles outright or leaves them floating in the water, helpless.
The aquarium has taken an active role in rescuing sea turtles that have been washed ashore at Tampa Bay-area beaches such as Sand Key and Indian Rocks Beach. In critical condition, these cold-stunned turtles are administered oxygen, antibiotics, food, and other nutrients and given round-the-clock care. Similar efforts to save sea turtles washed ashore have occurred in locations such as North Carolina’s Outer Banks.