OCEAN CITY More than 800 tiny, turtle hatchlings are being cared for at Stockton University s Vivarium, after being rescued from storm drains by several residents.
The baby diamondback terrapins hatched during the winter months and then stayed hunkered down in underground nest areas until spring, before venturing out.
Above-ground they can easily face trouble, either in man-made sidewalk curbs or, in this case, slipping between the grates of street-level storm drains.
Marlene Galdi and Joanne Freas were able to help the hatchlings in Ocean City, while Evelyn Kidd and others gave the assist in Ventnor and Margate, according to Stockton University.