This is not the first trial for loggerheads. Currently placed as a threatened species, their numbers have been declining for many years. Turtles use light glancing off the water to direct them to the ocean. Coastal buildings with light on, even indoors, can mimic the light off the ocean. Many newborn turtles crawl the wrong way, drying out and dying because they could not get back to the waters.
Turtles often swim near the surface and can be hit by boat propellers and jet skis.
Since loggerheads eat crustaceans such as shrimp and crabs, they can get tangled in fishing nets and traps, similar to dolphins. Doug Mador, a veterinarian working with the turtle hospital, said that boats, fishing line and trap ropes are the three most common dangers to turtles. Beyond the harm done by humans, diseases prey on the turtles are well. The most common diseases currently inflicting the population is parasite infestation, intestinal diseases and fibropapilloma. Parasites might cause health problems but little is known about individual parasites.