Updated at 10:15 a.m. March 17, 2016
A transfer scheduled Thursday of two ailing olive ridley turtles from Oregon to San Diego so they could continue their rehabilitation at SeaWorld was postponed, according to theme park officials.
The turtles were found comatose after two big winter storms on the Oregon coast in December.
Named Thunder and Lightning, they were to be flown by the U.S. Coast Guard to Naval Air Station North Island. SeaWorld said the transportation was not available today. Park officials were also busy after announcing the company will end its orca captive breeding program.
Once Thunder and Lightning make it to San Diego, they’ll be taken to SeaWorld’s Animal Rescue Center to continue their care — with the goal of eventually returning them to the ocean.
The turtles, which belong to an endangered species, are currently being cared for at the Oregon Coast Aquarium.
Park officials said Thunder is 2 feet long and weighs about 80 pounds. Her primary issue upon arrival was severe hypothermia. Lightning, also 2 feet long and weighing about 50 pounds, was also suffering from hypothermia, as well as several other problems, including a buoyancy issue and injuries to both eyes.
Olive ridleys are found throughout the Pacific Ocean, though mostly in tropical and subtropical areas. They generally venture no further north than Southern California on the eastern Pacific coast but do sometimes wander into the relatively cold waters of Oregon and Washington State, according to SeaWorld.
–City News Service
