Captain Brandon Upton rescuing turtles – credit Sea Tow Corpus Christi, via Facebook
As a former Gulf dweller this story struck home and comes from the Good News Network.
Man Saves Boatloads Of ‘Stunned’ Animals After He Spotted Shadows in the Waves
From Corpus Christi comes the story of a commercial mariner who developed a passion for saving lives—cold, imperiled, and scaly lives.
It started in 2018, when Captain Brandon Upton was out in the Gulf waters on a particularly chilly afternoon. He saw a dark shadow floating nearby.
As the owner and operator of Sea Tow, a boating assistance company, Upton thought he had seen everything the Gulf of Mexico could conjure. But soon, he saw more dark shapes, and then even more.
He realized to his shock that they were sea turtles.
“I didn’t touch it, because I know they are endangered and protected,” Upton told the Dodo. “On my way in, I saw more and more sea turtles and was very confused. In all my years on the water, I had never seen anything like it.”
Rather than take any actions himself, Upton did the right thing and contacted the relevant animal authorities—in this case, the ecologists at San Padre Island National Seashore, who explained the turtles had been cold-stunned.
Cold-stunning is a normal phenomenon in which the cold-blooded turtles fall into a comatose state if the seawater temperatures fall below 56°F. Their heart rate and metabolism plummets, and they float, incapable of moving. This puts them at risk for boat strikes, drowning, and even land predators if the tide and surf should take them onto the beach.
Every winter since then, Upton has remained vigilant for potential cold-stunning events. If the water temperatures start to fall too low, Upton will bring an airboat to tow alongside him, into which he will toss any sea turtles he finds.
“While sea turtle rescue typically requires special training, we started in an emergency situation,” Upton said. “We picked up two or three boatloads of floating turtles that very first day.”
San Padre Island workers receive these cold-stunned animals and place them in a rehabilitation center where their bodies are gradually warmed up to the temperatures needed to restart their systems. Then they’re released.
Upton described his 7 years of pro bono help as “only natural” since he carries around a lot of specialized equipment that makes rescuing turtles easy and is a proud part of the close-knit boating community.
He’s an animal lover to boot, and whether it’s “taking a spider outside” or helping cold-stunned turtles, he considers them all like a second family.
Fiction Favorites 
There are some great folks in our world 👍
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There are for sure. We need to focus on them and forget those who are not.
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Three cheers for Captain Upton!!
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Hip, hip, hooray. 😀
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😁
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😊
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What a wonderful thing to do.
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I agree. Those guys are helpless in the cold.
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Cheers for Capt. Upton!! He is wonderful contribution to this planet!
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I will second that, GP. Thanks.
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One of the interesting conversations I’ve heard this winter/spring among fishing guides and charter captains in the midcoast area has been about the relatively few stunned turtles they’ve come across. For whatever reason, the numbers were down. That said, it’s great to know how many people are aware of the issue and are willing to help out when necessary.
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It may be my imagination, but the cold snaps this year seem to have been shorter in duration. It is good the cold stun is down. Thanks, Linda.
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This guy’s got a big heart 🙂
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I agree, Dave.😊
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That’s awesome.
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“he considers them all like a second family” This is sooo touching John and such great news. Thanks for sharing and thanks to Upton!!!! Great way to start the weekend!
❤️
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It is Cindy. Thanks for the nice words. 😊
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Fantastic share, John. I loved that story included enough to detail how and why it happened, as well as the solution. After hearing, “Did I say that?” on the news, I really needed this today.
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I have stopped listening to Washington for sixteen years.
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Excellent example, John, where the rescue of cold-stunning turtles produces warm-encouraging humans.
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An excellent way to put it, Grant. That is precisely what happens. 😊
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I’ve never heard of this, but yay for Captain Upton!
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I agree, Teri. YAY for the captain. 😊
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Great of Upton to save those turtles. Thanks for letting me know, John. That they go comatose in cold water makes me wonder how they have survived.
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I think they have a way of coping. I guess if they don’t drown everything’s okay.
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Wow! How blessed that he happened to notice and that there was something that could be done… One shell of a support system!
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You are right. A shell of a support system.
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Wonderful dose of good news. Captain Upton sounds like a someone more people should hear about.
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I agree, Diana. Thank you for the comment. 😊
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Incredible! Thank you for posting this story, John. Hope you have a great weekend! 🌞
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Thank you, Gwen. I hope you have a good weekend as well.
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I had read this and thought, what a good guy! Especially since some species of turtle are endangered. He’s their guardian angel!
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He is for sure. Thanks, Noelle.
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This is a heartwarmer, for sure. So wonderful that there are people prepared to take care of these poor turtles.
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I agree, Lois. It takes a special kind of person too. 😀
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The things we learn! That these poor creatures can be made so vulnerable this way. What a wonderful man to take this on and get the help needed to save these turtles.
Another winner, John.
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I agree he is wonderful, Dale. So glad there are people like this.
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It really helps us keep faith in humanity!
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I agree.
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Of course!
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😊
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Oh my goodness! I never knew this could happen. So glad he went for help!
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I’m glad too. He is a saint. Thanks, Jan
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They’re such beautiful creatures. It warms my heart when I hear about someone special like this who helps them. Thank you for the story, John.
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I agree, Esther. This is heartwarming for sure.
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I couldn’t think what the devil was going on when I saw that photo. John, this is a wonderful article. I had not heard of this phenomenon before. Hugs.
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It is a real problem for the turtles. Thanks, Teagan.
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I missed your JohnKu this week, but I loved this story! Thanks for passing along the good news.
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I missed your JohnKu this week, but I loved this story! Thanks for passing along the good news.
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I didn’t do one. Felt I couldn’t add much
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I understand, having felt the same way in the past.
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😊
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I wasn’t familiar with this phenomenon, but good for Upton turning it into a labor of love.
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Yes he is a good guy
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He really is.
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😀
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Excellent 👍👍👍👍
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Thank you, Alaa 😀
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Wow I did not know about this. Cold stunning at 56 degrees. Kind of like the opposite of the wet bulb temperature for humans (can’t regulate/cool temperature due to humidity/heat combo)
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Throws them for a loop.
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Interesting stuff, John. I was curious and asked Google more about cold-stunning.
If not rescued and properly treated, animals that are cold-stunned often do not survive for long, usually dying within a short period due to complications from hypothermia, exposure, or predation; however, with prompt intervention and rehabilitation, many cold-stunned animals, particularly sea turtles, can recover and live long, healthy lives once water temperatures rise again.
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They definitely need help, Pete. Thanks for the information.
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How special!!
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I think so too, Darlene.
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How to feel like you made a difference each day. Bravo to this man.
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I agree on the bravo
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Brandon is a real hero.
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Yes he is.
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I had never heard of that phenomenon with the Sea Turtles. What a great guy he is to help and be on the look out for it when the water temperature drops. Thanks for sharing this story, John.
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He is a great guy. Thanks, Deborah.
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Oh gosh, have never heard of cold-stunning before. Thanks for spreading info about it and for Captain Brandon. This definitely falls in the good news category.
P.S. You know of course, your reference to the “Gulf of Mexico” may land you in trouble. Bravo for calling it like it really is!
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I was glad to find this good news story. I got a laugh out of your Gulf comment. Thanks, Monika.
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Wow. Who knew there would be so many turtles to find. So much for global warming?
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Those guys are helpless when they get cold stunned. I wonder why they all don’t just move further South.
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Maybe they were on their way when the cold hit them unexpectedly.
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Good point.
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GO TURTLEMAN!
O🐢 O🐢 O🐢
(No JohnKu)
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No JohnKu. Totally forgot. An old fart move.
O🐢 O🐢 O🐢 O🐢
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LOL!
O🐢 O🐢 O🐢 O🐢
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😊X
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