Cold stunning events occur when sea turtles are trapped in rapidly cooling water, causing hypothermia that requires intensive rehabilitation - a welfare emergency that is increasing with climate-driven range expansions.
Cold stunning creates a distinctive welfare scenario: turtles appear dead but are in torpor, requiring prompt intervention to survive. The rescue involves volunteer-intensive beach walking and transport of dozens to hundreds of individuals during each event. Rehabilitation facilities stress-test their capacity during mass cold-stunning events. The warming process itself requires careful welfare management - too slow and turtles remain hypothermic, too fast and they experience cardiac complications. The dedication of rehabilitation networks across the Cape Cod region demonstrates organized welfare response capability for wild marine animals at scale.