They’re lean, they’re mean and they’re green. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Not exactly, but hundreds of diamondback terrapin hatchlings have been rescued from subterranean storm drains along the Jersey Shore.
According to a Stockton University Facebook post, the turtles were hiding from the cold temperatures over the winter and surviving off yolk sacks in drains in Margate, Ventnor and Ocean City.
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Volunteers who rescued 826 of the animals turned them over to Stockton University’s “Head Start” program, where staff will care for and rehabilitate the creatures for about a year before placing them back in the wild, NJ Advance Media reported.
There are 1,108 terrapins receiving care from the program, which has reached capacity.
If you find a hatchling, Stockton recommends placing the animal in room-temperature water up to the shell with a rock it can climb on. Healthy turtles can be released at dusk into a tidal creek or bay area.