Eric the rare sea turtle dies after washing up on N.S. beach

A rare and endangered sea turtle died Friday, only two days after washing ashore,thin and hypothermic,inHall's Harbour, N.S.

Community members tried to nurse the ill turtle nicknamedEric back to health.

"We've really been rooting for him,"said Kathleen Martin, the executive director of the Canadian Sea Turtle Network.

"We knew he had a tough battle in front of him. There were a lot of odds stacked against him, but as you do when you're working with animals, you get attached anyway and hope for the best."

• "Sad News," reads an obituary bythe Canadian Sea Turtle Network

Eric was oneof two Kemp's ridleysea turtleseverfound alive in Nova Scotia, Martin said. This is the rarest and most endangered kind, she said.

And Ericalso had hypothermia, pneumoniaand was starving.

'Wisdom' in his eyes

"You can't help but hope that this one will make it," Martin said.

Eric was found Wednesday on the beach near the Bay of Fundy atHall's Harbour Lobster Pound and Restaurant. The turtle was a little less than26 centimetres long.

Staff put him in a holding tank until eventually connecting with the Canadian Sea Turtle Network.

The turtle mostly kept his eyes closed, but opened them under water, Martin said. She held his gaze for about 30 seconds the other day, and saw "wisdom" in his eyes, she said.

"There's a wisdom that comes from living in a way that we don't live, comes from being a different species in this world," Martin said. "It's such an honour. It's that awe of being in nature's presence."

Too much exposure to cold

Eric's body will be taken to the University of Prince Edward Island for anecropsy, which is similar toan autopsy, Martin said.

They hope to confirm how he died and find out when he started starving. That could help researchers learn about this rare turtle, she said. The young ones often get dragged from warm streams into cold water heading north, Martin said, calling it a "cold stunning."

"Its body's just too small to manage it. These little hard-shelled turtles can't manage the change," Martin said, noting leatherback sea turtles can.

The cold stunnings arecommon in New England, and less so inNova Scotia,the most northern destination for the little turtles. The adults normally stick tothe Gulf of Mexico, she said.

"You always think because you're involved, somehowyou might be able to fix things," Martin said.

"It was a long week, but just wonderful to have had the chance to hang with this little guy."