♪ ♪ Desiree> The state of South Carolina is home to some of the most fascinating and diverse wildlife on the planet.

♪ Its varying geographic regions host a variety of ecosystems, each providing the necessary ingredients for life to flourish and grow.

♪ Just as remarkable are the people whose mission is to protect and ensure that these fragile habitats continue to thrive.

♪ Now, it's time to learn and discover What's Wild.

♪ Hi, I'm Desiree Cheeks, and this is What's Wild .

♪ [tiger roaring] ♪ ♪ At the meeting of river and sea, where tides breathe life into marsh and forest alike lies one of South Carolina's greatest strongholds for wildlife.

♪ The Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center spans nearly 24,000 acres across South, North and Cat Islands at the mouth of Winyah Bay and the Santee Delta.

♪ Here, undeveloped beaches, tidal wetlands, maritime forests and longleaf pine flatwoods remain intact much as they have for centuries.

Protected in perpetuity and managed by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources in partnership with the Yawkey Foundation, this living landscape stands today as one of the most important conservation preserves on the Atlantic Coast.

Yet the story of Yawkey is not only one of land and water, but of foresight at a critical moment in history.

Purchased in 1925 by Tom Yawkey, an industrial heir with a deep love of wild places, the property was managed not for development but for wildlife.

As waterfowl populations declined and coastal habitats disappeared elsewhere, Yawkey quietly restored wetlands, protected forests, decades before conservation became a national movement.

♪ His vision ensured that these islands would remain a refuge not just in his lifetime, but for generations to come.

♪ In 1976, that vision became permanent.

Upon his death, Tom Yawkey willed the entire property to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

Along with the financial support to manage it forever for research, education, and protection of wildlife.

♪ Today, the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center is more than a preserve.

It is a cornerstone of South Carolina's natural history, where long term science guides conservation across the state.

It is within this sanctuary where history and habitat converge.

This vision endures... in the wild .

[swooshing sound] Yawkey is home to a variety of reptiles, each with its own story.

Right here, is where the journey begins for one of the island's most unique residents.

Guided by instinct, these animals face a perilous path in front of them.

But luckily, remarkable groups of researchers, volunteers, and organizations are giving them their best chance at life.

[swooshing sound] ♪ White sands, ♪ lush maritime forest, ♪ and estuaries teeming with life dot the coastline of South Carolina.

♪ These are barrier islands.

[waves crashing] Fragile ecosystems that provide a crucial buffer of protection for the mainland.

♪ They are as vital as they are dynamic, changing with the ebb and flow of the tides.

♪ They also set the stage for one of the most spectacular journeys in the animal kingdom.

♪ An enduring pilgrimage, written in scattered markings left behind on the sand.

Here, a cycle that has endured for over 100 million years holds on to a promise.

A promise of resilience, survival, and the future.

♪ And to safeguard these remarkable animals, one of the state's largest conservation networks stands watch.

Those who don't mind digging in the sand, dedicated to recovery, science, and determined to make a difference... in the wild .

[swooshing sound] ♪ South Carolina's coastline is home to four species of sea turtles.

The green, Kemp's ridley, leatherback, and the most common, the loggerhead.

Recognized as the state reptile in 1988, the loggerhead is identified by its massive block-like head, a feature that gives the species its name.

Their powerful jaws are built to crush hard shell prey such as horseshoe crabs, whelks, and other bottom dwelling invertebrates.

Loggerheads are considered a keystone species, vital to the balance of marine and coastal ecosystems.

By consuming hard shelled invertebrates, they regulate prey populations and help maintain the health of the ocean floor.

♪ Their foraging supports reef systems by preventing overgrowth while crushing the shells, accelerates nutrient recycling across the sea floor.

They even carry entire miniature ecosystems on their shells, including barnacles and other invertebrates.

Some of which are specialized species only found on sea turtles.

♪ When the time comes to nest, a female loggerhead emerges from the surf under the cover of night.

♪ Using her back flippers, she carves a chamber about two feet deep, then slips into a trance-like state called torpor as she deposits roughly 120 eggs each no larger than a ping pong ball.

♪ For approximately 55 days, the eggs incubate in the sand.

Like other reptiles, loggerhead sea turtles have temperature dependent sex determination, meaning the temperature of the nest determines whether the hatchlings will become male or female.

♪ At last, the nest erupts as dozens of tiny turtles emerge together and instinctively race toward the surf.

♪ On the beach, they face predators like ghost crabs and laughing gulls.

♪ But these dangers are only the beginning.

♪ Once in the water, each hatchling will have to swim nearly 50 miles, a journey that can take up to three days before reaching the Gulf Stream, where they'll have food and shelter.

♪ Loggerhead sea turtles are listed as federally threatened, their survival challenged by both natural pressures and anthropogenic threats.

On South Carolina's coastline, predators such as coyotes, raccoons, and ghost crabs predate nests.

Erosion and coastal development steadily shrink and fragment the very habitat turtles depend on.

Human activity compounds these risks.

Plastics drift through the ocean.

Fishing gear and nets entangle unsuspecting turtles.

♪ Bright beachfront lighting and sky glow disorients hatchlings, recreational equipment and non-native vegetation obstruct nesting mothers and dredging, pollution and poaching add further strain.

Taken together, these pressures threaten not only the survival of a species, but the fragile balance of an entire coastal ecosystem.

[waves calmly crashing] ♪ ♪ For more than four decades, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources has kept a steady watch at Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center, tracking nesting trends to answer the most important questions: Is the nesting population growing, and how many hatchlings make it to the sea?

♪ Each survey day begins before dawn, but first, the team must get to the beach.

♪ Turtle techs ride out across marshland habitat and through maritime forest on ATVs to reach the shore.

♪ Once on the scene, they begin a careful search for crawls, signs that a mother has come ashore to nest.

♪ When a crawl is discovered, biologists and technicians first determine whether it's a false crawl or a true nest.

♪ Using field signs and a probe, they carefully locate the egg chamber.

♪ Each nest, along with its data, is recorded in a central database to track long term trends.

ID numbers are written on a PVC pole at every site, and each is given an extra layer of protection with a metal cage to reduce predation.

♪ Nest laid in vulnerable locations are carefully relocated to areas with a higher chance of successful incubation.

♪ ♪ ♪ At times, staff arrive to find a nest already raided by coyotes.

♪ Predated eggs are counted while any viable ones are moved to safety.

♪ From each confirmed nest, a single egg is collected and sent where maternal DNA is analyzed.

This genetic fingerprinting identifies the individual turtle that nested on the island, and after nearly 15 years of research, more than 8,500 female loggerheads have been cataloged along the South Carolina coast.

♪ Three days after a nest has shown signs of emergence, staff carefully excavate, counting hatched and unhatched eggs, noting any deceased hatchlings and rescuing any live animals that fail to emerge.

Every outcome is meticulously recorded until each nest on South Island has been accounted for.

♪ Across the rest of the coast other organizations and volunteers reinforce this work and furnish the hands and eyes that make rapid response possible.

♪ Since 1981, South Carolina's Nest Protection Volunteer Network has grown into a coastal force of more than 1,500 trained volunteers, working alongside biologists to safeguard nests from the remote barrier islands to the busiest beaches.

♪ Six index beaches provide long term data, while dedicated teams ensure that every shoreline is monitored for nesting activity.

♪ Thanks to these efforts, more than 276,000 hatchlings made it to the ocean in 2024 alone.

And over the past decade, that number has swelled to more than 3.5 million.

♪ ♪ 25 years ago, the South Carolina Aquarium, in partnership with and permitted through SCDNR, formalized a dedicated care program that now receives injured and sick turtles from across the state.

♪ When a stranded or injured sea turtle is found, SCDNR is notified.

Volunteers and staff collect data and transport the patient to the Sea Turtle Care Center at the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston.

♪ The center is a state of the art rehabilitation facility that provides medical triage, surgery, diagnostic imaging, enrichment, and long term care.

The Zucker Family Sea Turtle Recovery Exhibit, opened in 2017, allows visitors to see the rehabilitation process firsthand.

♪ Guests can check tank status on screens and follow patient updates on an onsite blog, making recovery both transparent and educational.

♪ Once a turtle is medically cleared and rehabilitated, it is released as soon as conditions permit, often in a community celebration.

The future of South Carolina's sea turtles depends on a coast wide effort from researchers to rescuers.

Each plays a part in keeping these ancient travelers on their timeless path.

Along these coasts, wild stories are still being written in the sand.

[swooshing sound] Yawkey Wildlife Center is home to the longest running crocodilian study on Earth, where researchers have spent decades uncovering the mysteries of the American alligator.

These ecosystem engineers helped shape the wetlands.

And devoted mothers, though fierce, gently care for their young in some of the wildest ways.

♪ For millions of years since the age of the dinosaurs, the alligator has remained virtually unchanged.

♪ These apex predators are at the top of their food chain, but as fierce as they appear, they also reveal a gentler side.

♪ Yet much about them remains a mystery.

♪ To uncover these questions, researchers have carried out the longest running crocodilian study in the world, taking place here in the Palmetto State.

Throughout the decades, their research has taken to new heights and continues to shed light on the hidden lives of these ancient reptiles.

♪ Of the 26 species of crocodilians in the world, there are only two alligators, the American and the critically endangered Chinese alligator.

♪ The American alligator is the larger of the two, capable of reaching lengths of up to nearly 15 feet and weighing as much as 1,000 pounds.

♪ As opportunistic feeders, alligators will take what their environment offers.

Yet, these animals are more than predators, they are ecosystem engineers shaping the very wetlands they inhabit.

Over the years, their powerful jaws and claws carve out gator holes that hold water long after surrounding areas have dried, creating vital refuges for fish, amphibians and countless other species.

Even their dens and nests provides shelter and resources for wildlife, underscoring their critical role in sustaining healthy ecosystems.

♪ After mating in late spring, female alligators retreat to secluded, vegetated areas near the water's edge to begin the laborious task of nest building.

♪ Using mud, sticks, and grasses they create large mounds that may take weeks to complete.

Within these nest, a mother deposits 40 to 60 eggs.

Incubation last around 65 days.

During this incubation period, the females will linger close by, sometimes crawling over the nest after summer rains or waiting in what biologists call "a guard hole," a shallow pool dug near the nest that allows her to remain watchful while concealed in the water.

♪ When the time comes, her young call out from within their shells, summoning her to the nest.

[baby gator calling] With remarkable delicacy, she gently uncovers the eggs and carries hatchlings to the safety of the water.

♪ ♪ Over the course of a night, she'll make dozens of trips shuttling her offspring even until daybreak, ensuring they are given their best chance at survival.

♪ ♪ Since 1979, biologists working at the Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center have carried out a comprehensive alligator research program focusing on growth, reproduction, and population dynamics.

Clemson University later joined the efforts in the research program in 2015.

♪ ♪ Fieldwork here ranges from capturing and tagging alligators to collecting blood samples and biometric data.

♪ Among the most captivating studies is their work on nesting behavior, and particularly what factors influenced nest attendance by alligator mothers.

To begin the study, the first challenge is locating the nest, and the most effective way to find them is from the sky.

♪ SCDNR staff board a helicopter to complete surveys over the island, tagging nests with GPS coordinates.

♪ [propellers whirring] ♪ On the ground, Clemson biologists follow these coordinates, sometimes deploying drones to pinpoint exact locations.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Once a nest is found and deemed active, eggs are carefully counted, marked with ID numbers, and in some cases eggs are taken to the Savannah River Ecology Lab, where they are hatched in captivity to study how incubation temperature, and other factors influence alligator size, behavior, and survival.

♪ Then, game cameras are positioned at each nest, programmed to take one photograph every minute, creating a continuous record of the mother's behavior day and night.

Over the nesting season, millions of photographs are collected, providing an extraordinary window into what influences nest attendance.

What biologists have discovered is that most attendance by mothers occurs during the first week of the eggs being laid, at the time of hatchling emergence, shortly after rainfall, at night, and when the nests were closer to the water.

♪ These insights not only deepen appreciation for a species that is misunderstood, but also provide the foundation needed to guide conservation strategies for these remarkable animals.

♪ Can't get enough of What's Wild, go to SCETV.org for more exciting episodes of South Carolina Wildlife.

Also, be sure to visit our Facebook and Instagram page @SOUTHCAROLINAETV to let us know what other plants or animals you'd like to see next.

From everyone at South Carolina ETV, I'm Desiree Cheeks.

Thanks for watching and remember to stay wild .

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