An unleashed stray dog mutilated 23 newborn sea turtles on a North Florida beach, hours after they hatched. A routine search in Atlantic Beach led to the discovery of the baby sea turtles among small carcasses close to Second Street, the Beaches Sea Turtle Patrol said in a Facebook post this week.
Investigators suspect the culprit was a pet dog that had been let loose. The incident has led to calls for residents to leash their pets.
"23 sea turtle hatchlings that volunteers found dead near Second Street in Atlantic Beach likely were killed by an unleashed dog as the hatchlings emerged from their nest," the post read.
Although the specific species of the hatchlings were not revealed, five federally protected species of turtles can be found on Florida nesting beaches: loggerhead, green, leatherback, Kemp's Ridley, and Hawksbill turtles.
Scientists point to a concerning figure that highlights the vulnerability of each newly hatched sea turtle: just roughly one out of every 1,000 hatchlings could make it to adulthood, The New York Post reported.
The incident occurred during what is called a "turtle boil" - a coordinated hatching event in which several hatchlings emerge from the sand simultaneously and journey perilously towards the ocean, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Experts say that the small animals' simultaneous "hatching and moving" helps them overwhelm raccoons, foxes, seagulls, and wild dogs.
Since a dog, not a person, is said to have caused the damage, First Coast News inquired of an FWC representative whether a dog owner can face charges.
"You are, as a pet owner, entirely liable for any damages your pet does either on the leash or off the leash. If your pet wrecks a sea turtle nest, that is considered harassment," FWC Spokesperson Officer Robert Lentz said.
Each nest has over 100 eggs, so while losing 23 like this is tragic, many more turtles in that nest could have survived, according to Beaches Sea Turtle Patrol Field Supervisor Kevin Brown.
Officials at Atlantic Beach have issued an urgent call for beachgoers to take pictures of any stray dogs and notify the police immediately because the suspected animal may still be at large.
