Endangered sea turtle rescued from Shubenacadie River
An endangered leatherback sea turtle was rescued on the Shubenacadie River late Wednesday afternoon.
Steve Elder first laid eyes on the large sea turtle at the start of the week.
"When we saw it, it was about two kilometers behind me," he explains. "Adjacent to the water, parked on a sandbar and in some distress."
Elder owns the Tidal Bore Rafting Resort in Urbania, N.S. on the Shubenacadie River.
He knew the animal was far away from home, so he reached out to the Canadian Sea Turtle Network for help.
"I suspect it might be a bit compromised in its health to have ended up down the river," explains the network's executive director, Kathleen Martin. "I think the tidal bore is really strong."
This isn't a common sighting either, the last time was in 2012.
"They can't see feed or fish in this river, it's too heavily infused with clay mud," explains Elder. "And you can't see anything in there, including all the marine mammals that get stranded so we've seen dolphin, deer, cows, river otters, eagles that have crashed into the water and can't get out. So we're pretty familiar with doing our best to try and help the wildlife of all species here on the riverbank."
Martin says leatherback sea turtles are endangered. They're typically seen along the Atlantic Coast but occasionally they'll end up in the Bay of Fundy.
"One of the many concerns that we have are that these animals are ectothermic, which means they are popularly called 'cold blooded,' they are not able to cool themselves down, so this animal has been on mudflats exposed to really hot sun over hours and hours over several days now," Martin explains.
The Canadian Sea Turtle Network worked with local rafting companies and the Stewiacke Fire Department to rescue the large reptile at low tide.
Martin says the turtle weighs anywhere from 600 to 1,000 pounds and will be safely released into the Atlantic Ocean.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Here's how much more Canadian landlords are asking for now, according to a just-released report
A new report says the average asking rent for a home in Canada in April was up 9.3 per cent compared with a year ago, while a slight month-over-month increase was also recorded for the first time since January.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
What is basic income, and how would it impact me?
Parliamentarians are considering a pair of bills aiming to lift people out of poverty through a basic income program, but some fear these types of systems could result in more taxes for Canadians who are already financially struggling.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
'I may have some nightmares:' Man survives being bitten by 2 sharks in Bahamas
A man who was bitten by two sharks in the Bahamas said Thursday he's 'thankful that I'm here' while sharing his story of survival.
Out-of-control wildfire burning near Fort McMurray
As of 9 a.m. on Friday, the wildfire burning 28 kilometres southwest of the northeastern Alberta city was 25 hectares in size.
Mexico's president accuses press and volunteer searchers for missing people of 'necrophilia'
The administration of Mexico's president has accused the press and volunteer searchers who look for the bodies of missing people of 'necrophilia,' comments that drew criticism this week.