Hundreds of sea turtles are stranded in Cape Cod each year. An ‘amazing network’ has mobilized to help

Rescued sea turtles at the New England Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital on 18 December 2025. Photograph: Vanessa Kahn/New England Aquarium

Sea turtle #471 gasped audibly, as veterinarian Kathy Tuxbury palpated the surgical scar on the animal’s left flipper.

The turtle – lovingly renamed “Lucky” by the huge network of conservationists, interns and volunteers working to save its life – is one of the last patients of the year at the New England Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital, waiting to be returned to the ocean.