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Two Endangered Sea Turtles Rehabilitating at Aquarium

Oregon Coast Aquarium

The Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport is now treating two olive ridley sea turtles. Discovered on different beaches, they're both doing well.

On December 20th, a 63-pound male was discovered in Long Beach, Washington. He was cold-shocked with a head wound. The next day, an 82-pound female was discovered near Gearhart. She was hypothermic with a body temperature of 52 degrees, far below the ideal 75.

Both turtles were transported to the Aquarium, but the male didn't make it. The female, nicknamed "Thunder," has warmed up to 75 degrees and is making progress.

And then, there's Lightning – the female who arrived in rough shape about a month ago. Erin Miller, spokeswoman for the Aquarium, says Lightning is showing strong signs of recovery.

Miller: "She's now at a stable 75 degrees and she's eating regularly and she's showing quite a bit of energy, swimming around her pool. She appears to be napping occasionally down lower in the water, which shows that her buoyancy issue is likely dissipating."

The Oregon Coast Aquarium and Seattle Aquarium are the only rehabilitation facilities in the region authorized by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to provide the specialized care sea turtles require.

If you find a sea turtle, do not touch or move it. Call the Oregon State Police Wildlife hotline at 800-452-7888.

Born and raised in Eugene, Anni started at KLCC in 2000 as a reporter and co-host of Northwest Passage. After graduating from the University of Oregon, Anni moved to New York City. She worked in education for several years before returning to her true love, journalism. Anni co-founded and co-hosted Dailysonic, a narrative-based news podcast. She interned at WNYC's On The Media, then becoming WNYC's assistant producer of Morning Edition.