By AP
MARSHALL, MI –
Most of the more than 2,000 animals captured and cared for after this summer's oil spill in southern Michigan have been turtles.
And it turns out, the hardy reptiles are fighters, boasting a high survival rate after getting rescued from in and around the Kalamazoo River. Several hundred have been rehabilitated and released back into the wild.
Wildlife officials at the Enbridge Inc. spill site said Wednesday up to roughly 300 turtles may remain in care all winter at a makeshift rehabilitation center in Marshall.
The turtles aren't yet in good enough shape to release and it's almost time for the reptiles to begin their hibernation if they were in the wild.
More than 800,000 gallons of oil spilled in late July from a pipeline running from Griffith, Ind. to Sarnia, Ontario.