At first, the tiny sea turtle looked dead. Padre Island Madre, a local photographer known by that name on social media, came across the baby Kemp’s ridley washed up on a Texas beach on the evening of Aug. 12.
The turtle was missing a flipper and appeared to be in rough shape. But when she picked it up, she realized it was still alive.
She reported the injured turtle, which was taken to Padre Island National Seashore for care. It’s one of nearly two dozen injured Kemp’s ridleys that the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research has received this month as a record-breaking nesting season brings a less celebratory consequence to Texas beaches: more young turtles washing back ashore…