The Florida Keys welcomes a lot of visitors during the winter months, seeking warm weather and sunshine. Twenty-five visitors who arrived Tuesday were no exception – but they weren't tourists.
They're critically endangered sea turtles, and they're fighting for their lives.
"We get a lot of visitors to the Florida Keys during the winter months," said Turtle Hospital manager Bette Zirkelbach. "These are very special visitors that have come to the Turtle Hospital to be rehabilitated in the warm weather. Once they are back in good health, they will be returned to the warmer waters in Florida."
The “Kemp's ridley” juvenile sea turtles were rescued after a cold-stunning event in Cape Cod Bay left them stranded, hypothermic, and unable to swim. They were flown to Florida Keys Marathon International Airport by volunteer pilots with LightHawk, a conservation aviation organization, arriving from the New England Aquarium in banana boxes.
But there's so much more at stake than recovery. These 25 turtles represent hope for a species on the brink.
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A Kemp's ridley sea turtle swims Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2025, at the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, Florida, far from the cold Cape Cod Bay waters that left it hypothermic and unable to swim. The critically endangered juvenile was among 25 cold-stunned turtles flown to the Florida Keys by LightHawk volunteer pilots. After passing a swim test, the turtle was admitted to a hospital tank to begin treatment for pneumonia and other cold-related ailments. (Mark Hedden/Florida Keys News Bureau)
Mark Hedden
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Two critically endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles await processing Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2025, at the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, Florida. The juvenile turtles, marked with identification numbers, were among 25 flown to the Florida Keys to warm up after being rescued from Cape Cod Bay beaches where they became stranded and hypothermic during a cold-stunning event. Each turtle received blood chemistry tests, measurements and weight checks before beginning treatment that could last up to one year. (Mark Hedden/Florida Keys News Bureau)
Mark Hedden
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A Turtle Hospital staff member examines critically endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2025, during intake processing in Marathon, Florida. Twenty-five juvenile sea turtles arrived from New England after being rescued from Cape Cod Bay beaches where they became stranded and hypothermic during a cold-stunning event. Staff performed blood chemistry tests, measurements and weights before administering treatment for pneumonia and other cold-related ailments. (Mark Hedden/Florida Keys News Bureau)
Mark Hedden
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Turtle Hospital staff members work diligently to triage 25 critically endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2025, in Marathon, Florida. The juvenile turtles were flown to the Florida Keys to warm up after cold water in Cape Cod Bay left them hypothermic and unable to swim. Staff performed blood chemistry tests, measurements and weights on each turtle before beginning treatment that could last anywhere from one month to one year. (Mark Hedden/Florida Keys News Bureau)
Mark Hedden
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A critically endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle curiously peers through a hole in a Chiquita banana box during transport to the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, Florida on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2025. Twenty-five juvenile turtles were flown to the Florida Keys to warm up after being rescued from Cape Cod Bay beaches where they became stranded and hypothermic during a cold-stunning event. LightHawk volunteer pilots donated their aircraft, fuel and time for the flight. (Mark Hedden/Florida Keys News Bureau)
Mark Hedden
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Turtle Hospital manager Bette Zirkelbach unloads one of 25 critically endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2025, at Florida Keys Marathon Airport in Marathon, Florida. The juvenile turtles were carefully packed in Chiquita banana boxes and flown from New England by LightHawk volunteer pilots after being rescued from Cape Cod Bay beaches where they became stranded, hypothermic and unable to swim during a cold-stunning event. Treatment began immediately upon arrival at the Marathon facility. (Mark Hedden/Florida Keys News Bureau)
Mark Hedden
"All sea turtles in and around the United States are on the endangered species list," Zirkelbach said. "The Kemp's ridley turtles are critically endangered, which means it's possible they could go extinct in our lifetime. It's very important to get these juvenile turtles back in good health and return to the wild so they can procreate."
Sea turtles follow the Gulf Stream north during summer months, attracted by abundant food in Cape Cod Bay. But when the cold weather moves in quickly and bay's shape traps them, the consequences can be deadly.
"Sea turtles are ectothermic," Zirkelbach explained. "They take on the temperature of the air and water surrounding them. They cannot regulate their body temperature, so they experience a cold stunning in temperatures below 55 degrees water temperature."
Cold stunning slows their metabolism to a crawl. They stop eating. They float helplessly or wash ashore.
"They get similar symptoms as a human would get with hypothermia," Zirkelbach said. "So, some of these animals are critical. They have pneumonia."
The 25 that arrived in Marathon were rescued by volunteers who comb Cape Cod beaches once water temperatures drop. After volunteers find the stranded turtles, the New England Aquarium stabilizes them. LightHawk then coordinates volunteer pilots who donate their aircraft, fuel, and time to fly the turtles south.
The 25 Kemp's ridleys were admitted to the Turtle Hospital Tuesday evening. Treatment started immediately. Some turtles may recover in a month. Others could require up to a year of care as they battle pneumonia and deep bone infections.
But every turtle that survives and returns to the wild matters. With Kemp's ridleys facing possible extinction within our lifetime, these 25 juveniles carry the future of their species.
"It's very important to get these 25 turtles back in good health, return them to the wild to help save the species," Zirkelbach said.
