Inspired by reading, Sanfordville Elementary sponsors sea life rescue, recovery

Sanfordville Elementary School just added sea-life rescuing to its many achievements.

Inspired by “Nim’s Island,” the book of choice for this year’s Pick-a-Reading-Partner (PARP) Read-a-Thon, the school sponsored the recovery care of sea-turtle Ninja, after it was rescued cold and stunned off Cape Cod Bay last November.

Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles like Ninja can become cold-stunned and wash ashore when they fail to migrate south before water and air temperatures drop drastically. Unless they are rescued and rehabilitated, they will not survive.

While Ninja was lucky to be found alive and brought to the Sea Turtle Recovery (STR) hospital at the Turtle Back Zoo in New Jersey, his chances looked bleak. And costly. A full veterinarian exam revealed severe frostbite to Ninja’s head and flippers, possibly from laying in an icy pool and being exposed to freezing winds, and X-rays showed a dangerous lung infection. It would take expensive, long-term proper care and medicine.   

That’s when Sanfordville Elementary came to Ninja’s rescue, too. Thanks to the school’s generous initiative, STR veterinarians are now confident Ninja will recover and return to his ocean home, soon. They reported Ninja’s progress in a letter to the school.

Moreover, Sanfordville’s green practices are helping to reduce trash, balloons and other waste in our oceans, ensuring a better future for all sea life.