Lifeguard saves rare Kemp's ridley sea turtle on Texas coast

A marine biology student made an incredible discovery on Mustang Island beach. Nevaeh Vela was working as a lifeguard when she found a rare Kemp's ridley sea turtle struggling in the sand. The turtle could barely lift its head above the waves.

Vela knew this was one of the world's rarest turtles. As a student at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, she could see the turtle was in serious trouble. Its breathing was slow and raspy. The shell was covered in algae, showing it had been sick for weeks.

Since touching protected species is against federal law, Vela called for help instead. She reached out to several wildlife rescue centers. Finally, staff from Amos Rehabilitation Keep at UT Austin answered her call. Within 20 minutes, rescue expert Andrew Orgill and his team arrived at the beach.

X-rays revealed the problem: a fishing hook was stuck in the turtle's throat. The team carefully removed the hook using special medical tools. Now the turtle is recovering with antibiotics and pain medicine. This rescue shows how abandoned fishing gear harms our marine life.

Organizations like Ocean Aid 360 are working to clean up "ghost gear" from our waters. Since 2018, they have removed over 60,000 pounds of abandoned fishing equipment from the Gulf of Mexico. Our coastal communities can help protect rare species like the Kemp's ridley turtle by properly disposing of fishing gear.