All eyes are on the southern US states, most of all, on Texas. A powerful winter storm has brought everything to a standstill this week, leaving millions without power, and has claimed the lives of at least 21 people in the area. But this dark and frigid time is also a time of bravery and compassion. Texans are bringing their pets, farm animals, and wild animals inside their homes to protect them from the icy cold and to keep them warm. They’re also rushing to save sea turtles. If this isn’t proof that our true humanity shines through in the toughest times, I don’t know what is.
People shared photos of the efforts to help animals after journalist Yashar Ali started up a Twitter thread. Have a scroll down to see how people are lending a helping hand to our animal companions and how the cold unites us in our love for one another. Remember to upvote the pictures that you think are great representations of our kindness.
Bored Panda reached out to the ‘Sea Turtle, Inc.’ team whose volunteers are saving thousands of turtle lives in Texas. Read on for what their representative had to say.
Image credits: yashar
#1
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#2
You know its cold in Texas, when these things let you to pick them up.
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Lara told Bored Panda that her mom is part of a larger volunteer team who are assisting the members at ‘Seat Turtle, Inc.’ on South Padre Island. “She’s been volunteering with them each winter for the last 4 years. The number of turtles brought in continues to go up because the water temperatures are still ‘cold stun’ temps (below 55 degrees F). The last I heard, the rescue center had brought in something like 4,500 turtles.”
Lara said that she’s “extremely thrilled’ the turtles are getting the attention they deserve. “The center always needs donations, so having people tell me they’re donating is very heartwarming. It’s also a lot of fun to have thousands of people on Twitter telling you how awesome your mom is (even though I already knew that)!” she said.
“I am just the bystander who tweeted the picture; I don’t live in Texas myself. My mom is lucky to be far enough south to have relatively warmer temperatures compared to the rest of the state. So while it’s still very harmful for the turtles, she has personally been ok, and I’m very grateful for that. It’s devastating to see what so many Texas residents are experiencing right now, and I sincerely hope that the power can be restored as soon as possible for all of the people who are suffering around the state.”
Image source: lara_hand
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Caught this little fighter just in time.
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#8
We are grateful for the support of the community (near and far), City of South Padre Island leadership, and City of South Padre Island Convention Center for responding to our emergent needs. Tonight’s count is over 1,700 cold – stunned sea turtles being housed at the facility and the City of South Padre Island Convention Center. We ask the public to shop our amazon wishlist and to donate to our cause. Three resident sea turtles have already been removed from the tanks tonight and are inside the education center. We will be needing to move the other two residents soon if the power is not restored. Staff, volunteers and community are working tirelessly to provide critical care for these magnificent creatures.
Image source: seaturtleinctx
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Image source: bekahs_backyard
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What they gathered today in South Padre.
Image source: reddit.com
#11
Freezing to death. Some of us quite literally.
Image source: tinyhoovesrescuetexas
#12
I converted my dining room into a spot for the animals for the ‘blizzard’ coming!
Image source: tinyhoovesrescuetexas
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San Antonio Zoo moves animals during winter storm.
Image source: SanAntonioZoo
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Image source: PamDubier
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