Florida Keys homeowner shocked to find 64 baby turtles in backyard pool trapped in chlorinated water : The surprising reason they took a wrong turn

Imagine waking up and finding 64 baby sea turtles at a backyard swimming pool in the Florida Keys and they were trapped in chlorinated water. The shocked homeowner in Florida looked more closely and was completely stunned to discover that their pool had been taken over by baby sea turtles. The pool immediately turned into an unexpected rescue site and all turtles were rushed to The Turtle Hospital for care and later released into the ocean, reports Ecoticias.

The Turtle Hospital revealed that the likely reason they ended up in the pool was artificial nighttime lighting, which can confuse newly hatched turtles and make them move away from the ocean. Even general manager Bette Zirkelbach was surprised by the number of turtles involved. “It’s the most I’ve seen in a swimming pool, for sure,” she told The Dodo.

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The hospital staff cleaned the turtles, gave them fluids and checked whether they could swim properly and luckily, all of them passed their swim tests. A few days later, Bette Zirkelbach released them into the Gulf Stream. The hospital identified the rescued turtles as loggerhead hatchlings in its release update. According to a report in news outlet The Dodo, hospitals generally get calls about stranded hatchlings almost daily. Baby sea turtles rely on natural light patterns to guide them into the ocean after they hatch, and when those patterns get disrupted by light pollution, it can create confusion.

“[I]t does seem to be an increasing problem as we develop our coastlines and we have more artificial light with resorts and vacation rentals and homes along our coastlines,” Bette Zirkelbach, general manager at The Turtle Hospital, told The Dodo. “That artificial light disorients those babies, so they come out of the nest and they see a bright light and they go towards the light.”

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Bette Zirkelbach was thrilled to have given the 64 little sea turtles second chances at life. But what would make her even happier is reducing the number of babies who get harmed by light pollution. “[C]ompassion is contagious,” Zirkelbach said. “I think the most important thing we can all do to help sea turtles is to fall in love with them.”

How a porch light can point the wrong way for baby sea turtles

The sheer number of baby sea turtles inside the homeowner’s pool was shocking and raises an important question- how can a turtle mistake a backyard for the ocean? Hatchlings naturally follow visual cues, including the brighter, open horizon over the water and the darker shapes of dunes and vegetation inland. On a natural beach, these signals usually guide them toward the sea. Artificial lights can interfere with these natural signals and pull hatchlings inland instead. Contrary to a common belief, turtles are not simply following the moon, and they can find the ocean during different phases of the moon. A bright porch light or beachfront building can become a false signpost for the hatchlings.

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A post shared by Bette Zirkelbach (@turtlebette)

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According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), thousands of baby turtles die every year due to artificial lightning. If turtles don't reach the seawaters on time, they can become dehydrate and birds, crabs and other predators can also harm them.

What can you do to save a turtle?

The first and the most important step people living near the coastal areas can take it switch off unnecessary outdoor lights, close curtains facing the beach after dark, avoid flashlights, cellphone lights and flash photography. If an individual is using light, he/she should make sure that lights should be placed as low as possible and use only the brightness needed and point downward. The bulb or glowing part of the fixture should also be hidden from the beach.

If you find a stranded or distressed turtle in Florida Keys, you can immediately contact The Turtle Hospital’s 24-hour hotline at (305) 481-7669, FWC statewide at (888) 404-3922. Share the location of the turtle and follow responders’ instructions instead of trying to release the turtle yourself.