How to save a "stunned" sea turtle on the Cape

• Some turtles, often young Kemp's Ridleys, wash ashore around Cape Cod Bay, unable to move.

Between the lines: The U.S. Endangered Species Act bars anyone from interfering with turtles without a permit, but nature advocates say there are ways to rescue the animals without violating federal law.

Catch up quick: A cold-stunned turtle was spotted and rescued earlier this month, Mass Audubon reported.

• More than 200 volunteers already patrol Cape Cod beaches with a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service permit, but sometimes visitors and others spot stranded sea turtles first.

How it works: If you come across a stranded sea turtle, carefully push the turtle by the shell to make sure it's above the high tide line (never hold the head or flippers).

• Cover the turtle with seaweed (never with sand).

• Mark the spot with driftwood or draw a circle in the sand, and call the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary hotline at 508-349-2615 (option 2).
• Trained staff and volunteers will bring the turtle to the sanctuary to stabilize its temperature before taking it to a rehabilitation center.

Be smart: Don't assume a stranded turtle is dead just because it's not moving. Oftentimes, they're "stunned" but still alive.

• Don't push a stunned turtle back into the water.
• Other stranded sea animals should be reported to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) or the New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance (NECWA), specifically for stranded sunfish or torpedo rays.