<p>They’re lean, they’re mean and they’re green. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Not exactly, but hundreds of diamondback terrapin hatchlings have been rescued from subterranean storm drains along the Jersey Shore.</p>
<p>According to a Stockton University Facebook post, the turtles were hiding from the cold temperatures over the winter and surviving off yolk sacks in drains in Margate, Ventnor and Ocean City.</p>
<p>Volunteers who rescued 826 of the animals turned them over to Stockton University’s “Head Start” program, where staff will care for and rehabilitate the creatures for about a year before placing them back in the wild, <a href="https://www.nj.com/news/2021/05/800-baby-turtles-rescued-from-storm-drains-in-3-jersey-shore-towns.html">NJ Advance Media reported</a>.</p>
<p>There are 1,108 terrapins receiving care from the program, which has reached capacity.</p>
<p>If you find a hatchling, Stockton recommends placing the animal in room-temperature water up to the shell with a rock it can climb on. Healthy turtles can be released at dusk into a tidal creek or bay area.</p>
