WILDLIFE HEALTH: THE MISSING PIECE OF THE CONSERVATION PUZZLE

‍This December, our main fundraiser of the year, the Big Give Christmas Challenge, will focus on the vital need to put Wildlife Health at the heart of conservation.

Please look out for the campaign, which will run from 2^nd-9^th December 2025.Thank you in advance for sharing, talking about it and giving!

The plight of cold-stunned sea turtles is just one of the wildlife health issues we will be tackling with the funds raised.

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Turtles in Trouble

Sea turtles are amazing. They have been around for 120 million years, since the time of the dinosaurs, and, in general, their prehistoric physiology hasn’t changed much. Being ectothermic, they take on the temperature of the water around them. In addition, these extraordinary animals have geo-magnetic abilities, which, although not fully understood, are thought to effectively give them a natural GPS system in their brains, allowing them to navigate the ocean using earth’s magnetic field, and ensuring that females eventually return to the beach where they hatched to lay their own eggs.

Today there are seven species of sea turtle, five of which are threatened. Three (olive ridley, leatherback and loggerhead) are listed by the IUCN as Vulnerable, and two (hawksbill and Kemp’s ridley) as Critically Endangered[1],while the flatback is listed as ‘data deficient’, meaning it is not possible to accurately assess its conservation status, although it is listed as Endangered in Australia[2].

All sea turtles are considered ‘sentinel species’, meaning they are important indicators of marine ecosystem health. Their diets vary; adult green turtles, for example, impact the growth and distribution of sea grass(which gives their fat the eponymous greenish tint) – an important carbon sink– through their grazing and foraging behaviour. Hawksbill turtles eat sponges and help maintain healthy coral reefs, while leatherbacks keep jellyfish numbers in check.

Like so many threatened species, turtles face serious anthropomorphic threats, including entanglement in discarded fishing gear, plastic ingestion, illegal harvesting of eggs, and collisions with boats. Herein the UK, they are facing a new emerging threat, which appears to be linked to climate change; cold-stunning.

Cold-Stunning: A Life Threatening Condition‍

Although still relatively rarely seen in UK waters, six of the seven species of sea turtle have now been recorded[3]. Leatherbacks are the most common, as they are able to tolerate cold waters because they have evolved to be able to control their own heat loss, swimming faster in colder waters and reducing blood flow to exposed areas. But for other species, being diverted off course into colder waters by unusual weather -  severe storms, strong winds or powerful currents-  can spell disaster. The turtles, often juveniles on their first migration or injured adults who are not strong enough to resist unexpected conditions disrupting their navigational ability, are susceptible to the phenomenon known as ‘cold stunning’, where they encounter water that is below 10 degrees Celsius. This can cause their heart rate to slow to as little as three beats a minute[4]; they become lethargic and lose the ability to swim, leaving them adrift until they are washed ashore in a critical condition, suffering from hypothermia, pneumonia, starvation, and other health issues.

The number of cold-stunned turtles found on UK shores appears to be increasing significantly, with 35 washed up in 2024, compared to 27 in 2023 and just 12 in 2022[5].

As climate change is associated with more intense storms, it is likely that the UK will see more cold-stunned turtle strandings in future. Globally, warmer summer ocean temperatures in general may be tempting turtles farther north, where they then become trapped when temperatures drop suddenly in winter. Climate change is specifically thought to be impacting the range of European turtles; as temperatures in the eastern Mediterranean have risen, loggerhead turtle nests are being found both further north and further east, as they move to cooler waters, and consequently closer to the Atlantic – and theUK[6].

What does this mean for UK marine rescue and rehabilitation centres?

Recovery and rehabilitation of cold-stunned turtles is complex and requires specialist veterinary and husbandry knowledge. This kind of expertise is not currently well established across the UK. WVI has worked with SeaLife Brighton and Mat Westfield, the Marine Rescue Coordinator for England and Wales, to help establish the UK’s first permanent, purpose-built facility for sea turtle rehabilitation, with a special focus on cold-stunned animals. WVI is providing vital veterinary support through vet nurse Matthew Rendle and marine vet Tania Monreal, who are both experienced in turtle and marine mammal rescue globally.

Barnacle Bill

A few weeks ago, a turtle known as Barnacle Bill, who was originally found on Guernsey in 2023, became the new rehabilitation centre’s first patient to be successfully released back to the wild, following months of treatment. Her intensive care treatment included gradual warming in order to help her regain the ability to eat and rebuild strength, as well as X-rays, blood tests and a personalised diet. In addition, the staff at the centre worked to replicate the kind of conditions Barnacle Bill would encounter once back in the wild – including hiding food so that she had to forage, and using cutting-edge technology to recreate ocean conditions, with simulated waves and changing water depths. Barnacle Bill was eventually released in the Azores, with a real fighting chance of living a long and healthy life.

In the words of SeaLife Curator, Joe Williams:

“This is absolutely massive for us -our first release proves everything we've built here actually works.

We've created something innovative and a first of its kind in the UK. Turtles when found can often be presumed dead due to severe hypothermia. Previously there was no permanent facility for them to go to get well - now we can give them a proper fighting chance.

This project has been years in the making - a dream which has come true with the support of various people and partners, including Wildlife Vets International and the Sealife Trust.”

What Next?

Creating a Living Handbook

There is an urgent need to disseminate knowledge to other responders and rescue centres around the UK. WVI will continue to work withSeaLife Brighton and Mat Westfield to create a ‘living handbook’, which will be available online as a peer-reviewed guide for the rescue and rehabilitation of cold-stunned turtles. It will draw on expertise from leaders in the field, and will be updated regularly with new evidence-based information and research as it is published, which will help make sure that turtles get consistent, effective care wherever they have been found.

Empowering Responders

In addition to access to the online guide, those most likely to encounter stranded and rescued turtles, including aquarium staff and marine rescue networks, need practical support. For WVI, this will include facilitating and leading workshops covering handling and rehabilitation techniques, as well as the threats turtles face and how to make the most of the existing rescue network.  

Raising Public Awareness

Prompt and appropriate initial care is vital in cases of cold-stunning and stranding. As incidences continue to rise, there is a real and urgent need to educate the public on what to do on finding a turtle washed up on the UK coastline, in order to avoid mishandling and maximise the turtle’s chances of survival. WVI will work with SeaLife Brighton and other partners to help develop appropriate communications and resources.

As part of the journey to realising these over-arching objectives, WVI will also be helping by:

·      Collecting and auditing available data. This includes site visits to UKcentres with prior experience of cold-stunned turtles.

·      Conducting and publishing a literature review to raise awareness and engageveterinary professionals.

·      Collaborating with AI experts to streamline and strengthen data collection andvalidation.

·      Presenting our findings to date at the 2026 International Sea TurtleSymposium in March next year, in order to share knowledge with countries        facing similar challenges.

By standardising methods, equipping responders, and educating the public, this joint initiative to improve response and recovery in relation to cases of cold-stunning has the potential to dramatically improve the survival rates of endangered and vulnerable sea turtles who find themselves in UK waters, and to contribute meaningfully to global conservation efforts.

[1] https://www.iucn-mtsg.org/statuses

[2] https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Sea%20Turtles&searchType=species

[3] https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2023/february/unusually-high-number-turtle-strandings-uk-ireland.html

[4] https://www.ecowatch.com/cold-stunned-endangered-sea-turtles-2649223286.html

[5] https://www.countryfile.com/wildlife/marine-life/turtle-rehabilitation-centre-brighton

[6] https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2023/february/unusually-high-number-turtle-strandings-uk-ireland.html

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