Sea Turtle Hospital

Sea turtles take to the skies!

2012-01-18T11:02:00.007-05:00

It wasn't until Thursday that Andy Smith, the pilot from North American Jet flying demonstration flights near Boston, Massachusetts, learned that he may be traveling back to Charleston with seven endangered sea turtles. It's probably something that had never crossed his mind. But that's exactly what he did on Sunday afternoon. Through the generosity of Mason Holland, Charleston resident and owner of North American Jet, seven sea turtles suffering the effects of cold-stunning off the New England coast flew in style to finish rehabilitation at the South Carolina Aquarium.

Prior to Sunday, the turtles had been receiving treatment at the New England Aquarium in Boston but their hospital beds were full and seal season was on its way. The South Carolina Aquarium offered to take several patients to lighten their load.

The South Carolina Aquarium Sprinter Van greets the Eclipse 500, one of the most fuel efficient jets in the world.

Taking a look at the precious cargo.

Turtles snug in their boxes ready for the last leg of their trip.

James Platzer with North American Jet staff, pilot Andy Smith and Charleston Dispatcher Chris Casias

Team from Sea Turtle Rescue Program and North American Jet

The first strandings for our new interns, Caroline and Vicki

Their body temperatures were monitored and they went into tanks when they warmed to within a few degrees of tank temperatures

All seven turtles recieved exams and treatment for skin lesions

Six of the seven patients are juvenile Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, the most endangered of all the species. These little guys range from 5-9 pounds. They have been named in honor of those that helped them up to this point, including folks from the New England Aquarium and North American Jet.

The seventh sea turtle is actually a hybrid! A DNA sample has been taken for analysis to determine exactly what kind of hybrid, but it is most likely a loggerhead green. This special turtle is named Eclipse after the very special jet that transported the turtles. The Eclipse 500 aircraft is one of the lightest, most fuel efficient jets in the world. Click here to learn more about Eclipse Aerospace. Also, be sure to check out the New England Aquarium Marine Animal Rescue Blog that was written when the hybrid was first admitted.

Christi carries Eclipse to her new tank

We would like to thank all that have helped these animals thus far. Huge thanks to all involved their initial rescue and rehabilitation in New England, especially the good folks at the New England Aquarium. Thanks to DuBose Griffin from SCDNR for the fast transport permits, to Sea Turtle Rescue Volunteer Rachel Brennan and her husband, Tim for making the first call to find a flight for these turtles, to James Spatzer who made the call to Mason Holland that ultimately got the turtles here, to all the folks at Atlantic Aviation in Charleston, SC, and especially to Mason Holland and Andy Smith from North American Jet. We are so grateful!

Kelly Thorvalson
Sea Turtle Rescue Program Manager

Gumby is growing and thriving

2011-12-29T17:38:00.001-05:00

If you haven’t seen Gumby since this summer, you wouldn’t recognize him. This feisty and aggressive loggerhead no longer bears any resemblance to the little sea turtle that floated nearly motionless at the surface of his tank when he was admitted. Months of intensive treatment which included daily calcium supplementation, daily trips outside for sun baths to allow for dermal synthesis of vitamin D, and a strict diet high in calcium and vitamin D, have successfully resolved Gumby’s severe metabolic bone disease.

Upon arrival, Gumby could not feed on his own and had to be tong fed.

Gumby is now very aggressive during feedings.

Charleston Veterinary Referral Center, which has donated multiple diagnostic CT and MRI scans for our sick and injured sea turtles, welcomed Gumby for a CT scan on December 1st. The CT scan allowed us to measure Gumby’s bone density, and we are thrilled to report that it is now within normal range.

Gumby goes for CT scan

3-D CT scan

Although our treatment has strengthened Gumby’s skeletalsystem, we do have several concerns regarding his overall fitness and potentialfor release back into the wild. Pathological fractures are always a concernwith severe cases of metabolic bone disease, and recent radiographs confirm thatGumby’s femurs (thigh bones) and metacarpals (wrist bones) are bowed.Additionally, Gumby’s pectoral girdle, which consists of thebones that anchor the critically important pectoral swimming muscles, is poorlydeveloped. These abnormalities are likely the result of the poor husbandry and inadequatediet we suspect this little turtle endured before he stranded on a Kiawah beachlast June.

X-ray comparison from admission to November 2011

On a positive note, Gumby has more than doubled in sizesince last June, and his overall demeanor has improved drastically. He isenjoying a large tank with a sea bass for a tank mate, and we continue ourefforts to enrich his life and improve his health. If it’s been a few monthssince you’ve seen this amazing little loggerhead, come by the Aquarium for avisit! When he’s up to his usual antics, this charismatic little turtle neverfails to elicit smiles and laughter.

"Come see me!"

Christi Hughes
Sea Turtle Biologist

Greening your Holidays!

2011-12-08T14:26:00.011-05:00

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average US resident produces approximately 5 pounds of trash per day during the holiday season. Together, this produces over 250 million tons of waste in just a month's time. As we learn more about how the planet negatively responds to our impacts, we should make efforts to reduce our ecological footprint. Let's give a gift to Mother Earth this year by greening our holidays!

E-cards: Join the upcoming trend by sending e-cards instead of actual holiday cards. There are several sites that sell e-cards and even allow you to create your own personalized cards with family photos! Save trees, postage, and the gas it takes to fly your cards from one place to another!

Make your own ornaments: Instead of buying ornaments, make your own! It’s a great way to spend time with your family and create art. Check out the ornaments you can make from your old incandescent light bulbs! Be sure to look up all the great, inexpensive ornament ideas on the web!

Wrapping in style: Instead of using store bought wrapping paper, make wrapping more unique! Use newspaper, children’s art work, sheet music, and old maps for a special twist to your presents. This adds personal touches to each gift, and ensures great family fun. If you have to use gift wrap, select those made from recycled material.

Invest in LED lights: Replace your string lights with LED’s (light emitting diodes). LED’s use 60-80% less energy and can burn up to 100,000 hours (~10 years). These little lights can make a huge difference on energy bills and will last much longer!

Say No to Plastic: While out shopping, bring your canvas and cloth bags. Some stores will actually give a discount if you bring your own! This will help keep plastic bags out of our landfills and waterways. Challenge yourself to buy gifts, foods and candies without all the plastic packaging.

Buy Local: When you are out buying gifts, shop locally and buy from local artists. This will provide a one of kind gift while helping your local economy. Also, while preparing your holiday menu, try to use ingredients you can find at your local farmers market!

The Gift of Giving: Instead of buying traditional gifts, support charities, non-profits or make donations in honor of loved ones. Check out the South Carolina Aquarium's Gift Giving Guide at http://scaquarium.org/holiday.

Useful links:
Lowcountry Local First - http://www.lowcountrylocalfirst.org/
Charleston Coffee Roasters - http://www.charlestoncoffeeroasters.com/

Hope you enjoy greening your holiday this year!

Warmest wishes,
Whitney Daniel and the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Rescue Program

The Sarkowski Triplets Raise Funds for the Sea Turtle Rescue Program!

2011-11-28T12:11:00.009-05:00

For the second year in a row, the Sarkowski girls have given our sea turtle patients a commendable gift. In lieu of presents for their birthday, Gracie, McKae, and Aubrey requested donations to help provide food and medical treatment for the turtles recovering in our hospital. To date, these amazing triplets have raised $510!

The girls’ parents, Staci and Chris, have nurtured a love of nature in their three daughters and are truly leading by example. Chris often takes the triplets kayaking through the salt marsh around Sullivan’s Island, where birds and diamondback terrapins are abundant in the early morning hours. McKae, Aubrey, and Gracie also spent part of their summer helping mom, Staci, patrol the beaches of Isle of Palms in search of sea turtle nests. Staci landed a rare volunteer spot on the Isle of Palms turtle team this year, which gave the triplets the rare opportunity to learn how to identify sea turtle tracks and nests and even witness eggshells and hatchlings being excavated from a nest during an inventory.

During their visit to the hospital, the girls were drawn to our charismatic little loggerhead, Gumby. Although Gumby looks strong and healthy now, he is still recovering from severe metabolic bone disease. Aubrey, Gracie, and McKae were only able to appreciate how unhealthy Gumby was when he was first admitted into our hospital when they viewed his radiographs, which clearly show the deterioration of his skeletal system at admittance and the great improvements he’s made since last June.

I am truly thankful that this wonderful family has chosen our sea turtle hospital as the recipient of their donation. These girls give me great hope that our wild animals and the habitats we all depend upon will continue to be valued in the future.

Thank you, Sarkowski family!
Christi Hughes

Little River update (with video)

2011-11-07T13:53:00.027-05:00

You can't miss Little River when you visit the South Carolina Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital - "she" is the one splashing water across the room! This juvenile loggerhead sea turtle was admitted to the hospital in May of 2011 with 3 propeller strikes in her shell. She is extremely lucky to be alive since the fractures cut deeply across the vertebral scutes.

Periodically, we find Little River resting at the bottom of her tank, floating on one side (see photo below). Of greater concern to hospital staff is the limited use of her rear flippers, indicating that she has suffered spinal damage from the strikes. While most sea turtle patients use their rear flippers to aid in moving around their holding pools, Little River’s rear flippers remain motionless when she swims. This is partially why she splashes so much as she swims to the water's surface to take a breath of air. It isn't until someone physically stimulates the rear flippers or shell that we see that she actually CAN move them. Upon touch, she draws her rear flippers into her body and moves them a bit more.

The two videos below allow for comparison of rear flipper movement by Little River and another loggerhead currently being treated at the Sea Turtle Hospital, Hamlin Creek.

We are working with Little River to increase rear flipper movement by providing alternative therapies such as physical therapy, shell stimulation, and electroacupuncture (thanks to Dr. Steve Canion). However, having limited movement in the rear flippers would not keep Little River from eventually being released back into the wild. When Dr. Boylan and hospital staff deem her strong enough to survive on her own, she will be set free. In the meantime, check back here to find video of how Little River is responding to therapies!

Kelly Thorvalson

MerriElizabeth’s Sea Turtle Birthday Celebration!

2011-10-18T17:23:00.000-04:00

Appropriately adorned in a sea turtle dress and barrettes, a very special 2-year-old girl named MerriElizabeth visited the Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital on October 9th bearing a wonderful gift for our sea turtle patients. MerriElizabeth had just celebrated her second birthday and in lieu of toys, her family and friends chose to honor her by aiding the sick and injured turtles in our hospital. In all, MerriElizabeth raised more than $550 and is now a proud Stranded Sea Turtle Adoptive Parent!

Clutching Trevor (her stuffed sea turtle), MerriElizabeth explored the hospital and was drawn to the turtles swimming in their tanks. Thanks to the tank windows, she was able to get face-to-face with Barrington, our juvenile loggerhead who underwent brain surgery last July and seemed to be one of her favorites.

Children who visit the hospital are always amazed at the anatomical similarities between sea turtles and humans. Our preserved sea turtle carapace, which clearly shows how the rib bones have been modified in turtles to produce the shell, elicited a huge smile from this bright little birthday girl!

Ever the charmer, MerriElizabeth set aside her fish crackers long enough give me a beautifully executed high-five and show me how to say “thank you” in sign language on her way out to enjoy Charleston’s beautiful fall weather. I’d like to extend a heartfelt “thank you” and flipper hugs to MerriElizabeth and to everyone who helped make her second birthday such a memorable event!

Christi Hughes
Sea Turtle Biologist

Photos and video of McClellan's release!

2011-10-11T13:00:00.029-04:00

A team of Aquarium staff members get McClellan out of the holding tank she has occupied for almost 4 months...

...and carefully load her into the transport bin.

After arriving at the Isle of Palms County Park, McClellan is taken from the transport container by the release team.

Shelley and Ethan Harrison from Caledonia, Ontario in Canada, were in town for this special release. Ethan, now 9 years old, has raised over $6,000 for the Sea Turtle Rescue Program, starting when he was only 4 years old.

The release team clockwise from left to right: Dan Ashworth, one of the USFWS staff on the boat that rescued McClellan; Kevin Handel, Sea Turtle Rescue Program Intern; Bob Crimian, Sea Turtle Rescue Progam Volunteer; Lee Baldonado, South Carolina Aquarium Environmental Services Manager. Thanks guys!

The release team walked McClellan into the water because of her missing front flipper. She stopped for a few moments on a sandbar but once free of that obstacle, headed out to sea.

Enjoy the video of McClellan's release!

Huge thanks to all involved in the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of this amazing animal!
Kelly Thorvalson

Amputee loggerhead to be released this Friday

2011-10-06T10:51:00.008-04:00

We are excited to be able to release an adult female loggerhead back into the Atlantic Ocean on Friday, October 7, 2011. McClellan suffered a flipper amputation from a crab trap rope entanglement and loss of a portion of her shell from propeller strikes. Despite these traumatic injuries, she has recovered in less than four months! The public is invited to join us at 1pm at the Isle of Palms County Park for this release held in partnership with the SC Department of Natural Resources and the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission. Arrive early to get a good parking space (County Park parking fees apply).

Visit the Sea Turtle Hospital at http://scaquarium.org/STR/hospital/default.aspx to learn more about McClellan’s injuries and rehabilitation. We hope to see you Friday!

1st Annual Logtoberfest on Folly Beach!

2011-10-04T10:18:00.005-04:00

Come out to Loggerhead's on Folly Beach this Saturday, October 8th for the 1st Annual Logtoberfest from 4PM - 2AM. Enjoy the oyster roast and BBQ for only $20 with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Rescue Program. No purchase necessary to enjoy live music from Graham Whorley, Jamisun, and Howard Dlugasch on the outside stage and the Dubplates inside at 10.

Hope to see you there!
Kelly Thorvalson

Gumby showing great improvement!

2011-09-16T13:11:00.008-04:00

The 1-3 year old loggerhead that stranded on Kiawah in June has broken the heart of many visitors as she floated listlessly, unable to swim or dive. In addition to having anemia, radiographs revealed a severe case of metabolic bone disease. Little Gumby has been on a rigorous health plan that includes a proper diet, daily calcium injections, and an hour long daily dose of sunlight. The photo below shows an extremely lethargic Gumby as s/he receives an injection just after being admitted.

Sunlight is a significant source of vitamin D because the UV rays trigger vitamin D synthesis in the skin. Calcium can only work with the presence of vitamin D, so both are extremely important to bone health and development for all living creatures.

When we take sea turtles out for sun, it is important to maintain a constant water temperature. Hospital staff and interns in the photo below eat lunch outside on a 95 degree day while they consistently monitor Gumby's water temperature, adding chips of ice to cool down when necessary.

After three months of treatment, Gumby is behaving much more like a normal juvenile loggerhead - swimming around the tank, diving for food, sleeping on the bottom, and even biting at staff when we pull him for treatments and sun.

Follow-up radiographs reveal an increasing bone density. Take a close look at the comparison photo below, the flipper bones in particular.

Although Gumby has a long way to go before he will be able to be released into the wild, s/he is making great progress!

Kelly Thorvalson

Jammin' for Jammer at the Windjammer

2011-09-11T14:11:00.001-04:00

Join us at the Windjammer on the Isle of Palms this Tuesday, September 13 at 7pm to enjoy cuisine from eleven amazing restaurants and music from 3 live bands, all for only $15! There will also be a silent auction with many wonderful items including a surf board, art, and a family membership to the South Carolina Aquarium. The funds raised will support the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Rescue Program, helping to offset some of the costs of rehabilitating Jammer, the loggerhead that stranded near the Windjammer in April of 2011.

Jammer was on death's door when he arrived at the South Carolina Aquarium. To see photos of Jammer's rescue and admission, go to http://seaturtlehospital.blogspot.com/2011_04_01_archive.html. Visit the main hospital webpage at http://scaquarium.org/STR/hospital/default.aspx for additional photos, medical treatment and progress.

Huge thanks to the sponsors of the fundraiser and to all those contributing. Come on out...it's going to be a JAM GOOD TIME!

Kelly Thorvalson

Newest patient from the Edge of America

2011-09-08T13:55:00.003-04:00

On Tuesday evening, an endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle stranded on Folly Beach, the local barrier island commonly known as 'the Edge of America.' The small turtle was originally found by Lucinda Gilbert, a resident on the island. Nancy Smith, Bob Neville and Sharon Hally from the Folly Beach Turtle Watch responded to the stranding and contacted Charlotte Hope from the SCDNR, who then transported the turtle to the South Carolina Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital for medical care. It takes a whole slew of folks to save a sea turtle and we are grateful for each person along the way!

"Edge" is thin, lethargic, anemic, and unable to submerge in water. Because of the timing as well as the condition of the turtle, it is presumed that Edge was tossed around in the rough oceanic waters during Hurricane Irene and "his" health declined as a result. The lucky little turtle landed in just the right place for healing, rest and relaxation.

Current therapy includes antibiotics, vitamins and fluids. Although Edge isn't eating yet, we are hoping he will soon be enticed so he can start putting on a little weight. For our invertebrate folks out there, we found a few very interesting barnacles on this turtle's shell that can be seen in the photo below. There is very little information about barnacle species on the internet so we are looking to (and appreciating!) our local barnacle expert from the Citadel, Dr. John Zardus, for species identification. These critters may tell us a little more about where this turtle has been. Most of the barnacles will eventually die and be removed from the shell (and nose) but for the time being, they are not causing the turtle problems.

We would like to send a huge THANK YOU to all involved in rescuing sick and injured sea turtles from our waters and beaches. If you find a sea turtle in need of assistance, be sure to call the SCDNR stranded turtle hotline at 1-800-922-5431.

Kelly Thorvalson

SCUTE volunteers donate medical equipment

2011-08-24T15:34:00.017-04:00

It all started with a young boy named Timmy Mitten from Virginia. Timmy's family was on vacation in Garden City and one evening, Timmy helped the SCUTE (South Carolina United Turtle Enthusiasts) nest protection volunteers by keeping a close eye on the rising tide. He wanted to be sure it didn't interfere with the hatchlings making their way out of the nest. A little later, Timmy gave the team $1 to help sea turtles. He could have spent his money on candy or gum, or maybe a video game in the arcade, but all that was on Timmy's mind was helping the turtles. And that he did.

That dollar donation prompted the Garden City turtle team to find out if there were any medical needs in the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital with which they could fund. That dollar turned into about $1,500 that has provided a new gurney (stretcher) and IV poles for the Sea Turtle Rescue Program!

Sue Harbemeyer spearheaded the time-consuming project to find a gurney that would accommodate sea turtles large and small, as they are transported from the basement hospital facility to the 1st floor medical clinic for x-rays and surgeries. The IV poles were ordered by Terry Senior and used during surgery only days after their arrival.

The photo below is of the gurney that we have used for approximately 4 years. Ripped and rusted, it has certainly seen it's better days!

And the new one from the SCUTE team...they sent an extra mattress, too!

The first use of the gurney was to force feed Yawkey (and it was successful).

We would like to extend a huge thanks to Sue and Hans Harbermeyer, Terry Senior, Linda and Dan Williams, Mari Armstrong, Franc Coker and of course, Timmy Mitten, for the much needed contributions to the Sea Turtle Rescue Program!

Sincerely,
Kelly Thorvalson

Couple gets engaged in the Sea Turtle Hospital!

2011-08-20T10:43:00.005-04:00

With Beaufort the loggerhead peeking through the tank window, Nick Andrews dropped to one knee, opened a ring box, and asked Justine Francis to marry him. Justine was obviously very surprised and excitedly said "yes!"

Vacationing from Scranton, PA, the couple had planned to spend the afternoon at the South Carolina Aquarium and booked a behind-the-scenes tour of the Sea Turtle Hospital in advance. Nick knew that this would be the perfect setting for his proposal because of Justine's deep love for sea turtles.

To Nick and Justine-
Thank you for sharing this special moment with hospital staff and guests! We wish you a lifetime of health and happiness. Hopefully Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital will always hold a special place in your hearts.

Warmest regards,
Kelly Thorvalson

Sea Turtle Release Friday, August 19

2011-08-15T21:44:00.012-04:00

Pack your swimsuits, get the kids from school, and head out to the Isle of Palms to watch 2 loggerheads and 1 Kemp's ridley be released back into the ocean after recuperating from various illnesses at the South Carolina Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital. In partnership with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) and the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission, Beaufort, Capers and Laurel will be released at the Isle of Palms County Park on Friday, August 19th at 4:30 pm. County Park parking fees will apply.

Beaufort
This feisty 100-pound loggerhead was found floating in Battery Creek in Beaufort, SC on May 30, 2011. X-rays revealed intestinal air, possibly caused by an impaction. Beaufort’s treatment included antibiotics, fluids, and s/he received regular tube feeding of mineral oil, as well as weekly enemas. Beaufort finally passed the air trapped in her intestines and the staff is extremely happy that she can go home (so she'll quit trying to bite us when we work on her)!

The photo below is a nice comparison of Beaufort floating with her posterior (rear) end up and her present state of being neutrally buoyant.

Capers
This 94-pound loggerhead was picked up by SCDNR on their loggerhead trawl survey on May 31, 2011. Once on the boat, it was noted that Capers had a strange loss of keratin (protective layer) on the soft tissue and the bloodwork revealed anemia. She was transferred to the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital for medical treatment which included two types of antibiotics, fluid therapy, topical skin treatment and vitamins. With her ailments resolved and her activity level finally that of a healthy, wild loggerhead, Capers is ready to go home.

Laurel
This 7-pound Kemp's ridley was caught by a recreational fisherman on June 21, 2011 in Laurel Bay in Beaufort, SC. The circle hook in her esophagus required surgical removal by making a small incision in her neck and esophagus. This was done with the turtle fully anesthetized and in just over a week, Laurel was able to eat. The wound has now completely healed and Laurel is medically cleared for release.

To see the full medical updates including photos of these turtles, be sure to go to the Sea Turtle Hospital webpage at http://www.scaquarium.org/STR/hospital/default.aspx.

Huge thanks to all involved in the rescue and successful rehabilitation of these sea turtles. We hope you will be able to come out to witness these amazing animals return to their natural habitat!

Kelly Thorvalson

'Ten Toes Up' pays a visit to the sea turtles

2011-08-14T08:45:00.005-04:00

Ten Toes Up, a local band that originated in Pawley's Island, SC, recently played for a fantastic event at the South Carolina Aquarium, the Shark, Rattle and Roll. It was there that they found out about Sea Turtle Hospital located in the aquarium's basement and decided to visit later in the week.

Sea Turtle Biologist, Whitney Daniel, and interns Kathryn Sobczyk and Kate Bender, were on hand to introduce the band members and manager to the twelve sick and injured sea turtles in our hospital.

Ten Toes Up: Thanks for playing the Shark, Rattle and Roll, for visiting the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital and for putting great music out there! Y'all rock!

To learn more about Ten Toes Up and listen to some of their tracks, go to http://www.tentoesup.com/.

Kemp's ridley with boat strike wounds caught by fisherman

2011-07-25T09:45:00.007-04:00

It was his lucky day. On Saturday morning, the 7-pound endangered Kemp’s ridley took the bait of a fisherman at Battery Park who recognized that the turtle needed medical attention. Although the fisherman was able to remove the hook from the turtle’s mouth fairly easily, boat strike wounds were evident in the shell and skull.

Once admitted into the Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital, diagnostic tests were performed. Bloodwork revealed anemia (PCV 14%), low total protein (1.9), and lactic acidosis (almost 15), and a broken right humerus showed up on x-ray. Initial treatments included antibiotic and vitamin injections, fluid therapy and bicarbonate.

The sea turtle affectionately named “Battery” after the location he was caught, has wounds that look familiar to hospital staff. As seen in the comparison photos below, Battery and the loggerhead admitted last week, Yawkey, endured boat strikes in the same areas and both have broken flippers from the strikes. Although we can see similarities in injuries, the age and severity of the wounds are different. Battery's wounds are a bit older and some healing has already occurred. It is safe to say that this turtle will survive. Yawkey's wounds are fresh and have caused a great deal of internal bleeding. Unlike Battery, this animal is not out of the woods just yet.

Be sure to check back to the sea turtle cases on the hospital page for updates on our patients.

Best,
Kelly

Photo blog of July 12th sea turtle release

2011-07-22T12:56:00.016-04:00

Three rehabilitated sea turtles were released into the ocean on Kiawah Island last week for a total of 77 released from the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Rescue Program. When the turtles arrived on Tuesday at 11am, they were greeted by a wonderful crowd gathered along the ropes, eagerly awaiting their arrival. Thanks to all for coming out on this very special day on such short notice! For those that couldn't make it, enjoy the photos below.

We are always very excited to meet folks from all over SC and bordering states that drive to Charleston for the sea turtle releases. Last week, we met folks that actually flew into Charleston and found their way out to Kiawah Island for the event. One of our Stranded Sea Turtle Adoptive Parents flew in from Ohio to attend the release. Thank your for your support and please send a photo to the turtle rescue inbox. We would love to post it!

The furthest traveled for the release were a mother and son (pictured below) that flew in from Michigan to watch the beloved sea turtles go back into the ocean ... simply amazing!

"Lisa" was released by SC Department of Natural Resources Sea Turtle Coordinator, DuBose Griffin and NOAA's Jeff Brown. DuBose manages the SCDNR's Marine Turtle Conservation Program and is the primary permit holder for sea turtles in South Carolina. Thanks for all you do for sea turtles in our state, DuBose!

"Grice" was released by 2 of her rescuers, Justin Jay and Jenna Cormany, who work with the SCDNR Marine Turtle Conservation Program. These are two of several DNR staffers that spend many hours on the road transporting sick and injured sea turtles from their stranding area to our hospital for medical care. Thanks for all you do guys!

"Bennett", the very feisty adult Kemp's ridley sea turtle, was released by our two amazing, always smiling interns, Kate Bender and Kathryn Sobcyzk. Thanks for your tireless efforts in the hospital this summer, especially the 12 hour days and the midnight shifts!

It has been a big year for releases so far and we look forward to having at least one or two more before the cold weather comes upon us in the fall. Keep an eye out for the next release - we hope to see you there!

Kelly

Barrington survives brain surgery

2011-07-20T17:15:00.003-04:00

Although Barrington is still in the early stages of recovery, watching him navigate around his tank of shallow water gives us hope that the brain surgery he underwent last Thursday was successful. During his first month in our hospital, Barrington’s body quickly recovered from the severe keratin loss on his soft tissues and head. However, his demeanor was poor and he began exhibiting worsening neurological symptoms indicative of brain trauma. Barrington typically floated motionless in his tank, reacted very painfully during treatments, exhibited odd motor skills (his body tensed up completely when he was handled and he wouldn’t use his front flippers to swim), and began twisting his head up and to the left when agitated.

Thanks to Dr. Jason King and his accommodating staff at the Charleston Veterinary Referral Clinic, Barrington received a CT scan and an MRI on July 12th. The CT scan was instrumental in identifying the likely cause of Barrington’s neurological symptoms: a large bone fragment had been shoved downward toward the brain from blunt force trauma to the top of the skull. Although brain surgery had never been performed on a sea turtle at our facility, removing the bone fragment was necessary to save Barrington’s life.

On July 14th our veterinarian, Dr. Shane Boylan, was joined by Dr.’s Nora Schmidt and Cheri Ristau (pictured below) who volunteered their time to assist with Barrington’s experimental surgery. A newly donated Stryker saw, a crucial tool for precision bone cutting, was used to remove a triangular portion of the top of the skull, and the bone fragment was extracted intact. However, we began to worry when Barrington failed to start breathing on his own and his heart rate remained depressed more than twelve hours after surgery. Recovery efforts by STH staff and interns continued until after 3:00 A.M. the next morning.
Today, Barrington has regained some use of his front flippers and is behaving more and more like a normal loggerhead. His muscles no longer remain contracted when we handle him, and he tolerates antibiotic injections well. Although he still twists his head up and to the left on occasion, his neurological symptoms are less severe than they were before the surgery. This resilient loggerhead still has a long way to go before we even begin considering releasing him back into the wild, but we are willing to be patient and let his recovery occur at a turtle’s pace (as it should). Come visit Barrington in our hospital and wish him well as he continues to heal from brain surgery.

Christi Hughes, Sea Turtle Biologist

Sea turtles being released on Tuesday, July 12!

2011-07-10T06:40:00.012-04:00

The public is invited to join the South Carolina Aquarium for some summer fun at the beach to watch the release of 3 threatened and endangered sea turtles! The release will be held at 11am on Tuesday, July 12 at Beachwalker County Park on Kiawah Island, SC. Come out to see juvenile loggerheads, Grice and Lisa, and an extremely rare adult female Kemp's ridley, Bennett, get released back into the ocean after recovering from various ailments in the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital. County Park parking fees apply and parking is limited so we strongly encourage carpooling.

A little information about each turtle is below but you can find out more about the program and the sea turtles being released by visiting the Sea Turtle Hospital webpage at http://www.scaquarium.org/STR/hospital/default.aspx.

Grice, a 66-pound juvenile loggerhead, arrived at the Sea Turtle Hospital with rotting skin ulcerations and leeches all over the soft tissue. She has recovered from her skin issues and anemia extremely quickly.

Lisa, a 68-pound juvenile loggerhead, was caught on board the SCDNR research vessel, RV Lady Lisa, with most of her soft tissue void of the protective keratin layer. She was admitted into the Sea Turtle Hospital primarily because of concern that this was the early stages of the skin ulcerative disease that we have seen so much of this year.

Bennett, the 76-pound adult female Kemp's ridley caught on the RV Lady Lisa, had an unfortunate encounter with a stingray barb that punctured deeply in the soft tissue by the rear flipper. Other than the puncture wound, this turtle was extremely healthy which allowed her to recover in just a month!

We hope all of you will join us to say goodbye to these amazing creatures! Huge thanks to all those that were part of the rescue, rehabilitation and release of these animals, including the SC Department of Natural Resources and Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission. You all are amazing!

Kelly

Santee and Eugenia will be released this Friday!

2011-06-15T16:53:00.032-04:00

In partnership with the SC Department of Natural Resources and Charleston County Parks and Recreation, Santee, the 160-pound loggerhead that was rescued in September 2010 will be released this Friday, June 17th at 4pm at the Isle of Palms County Park.

Santee was rescued by Captain Chad Ferris of Tall Tails Charters. Check out the awesome rescue story with photographs at http://seaturtlehospital.blogspot.com/2010/09/.

Santee's primary medical issue was a gastrointestinal tract impaction but as a result of this impaction, she was suffering from severe edema, low blood protein and was positively buoyant (floating). After 1 1/2 months of treatment, Santee was finally able to pass the impaction and start the healing process. After a little over 8 months of treatment, she is ready to return to the ocean.

Comparison photos of Santee:

Eugenia, the juvenile green sea turtle rescued on Kiawah Island April 28th, 2011, will also be released on Friday. Upon admission, this turtle was very lethargic and in overall poor condition.

Read about Eugenia's admission and how she got her name at
http://seaturtlehospital.blogspot.com/2011/05/sea-turtle-rescue-program-is-off-to.html.

We are thrilled that Eugenia has made a quick recovery in just under 2 months - she was just medically cleared for release today. Just look at the difference that two months of medical treatment and the best animal care can do!!

Bloodwork is pending on the small Kemp's ridley, Taylor, that was caught by a fisherman on the Edwin S. Taylor pier on Folly Beach April 18th. If the bloodwork passes, Taylor will be included in this release, as well!

The public is invited to join us to send these beautiful, healthy sea turtles back into the ocean. Just remember: come early because parking is limited and traffic will be heavy, and County Park parking fees apply.

Hope to see you there!

- Kelly Thorvalson

Sea turtle release this Friday, June 3rd at 3pm

2011-06-01T11:47:00.017-04:00

In partnership with the SC Department of Natural Resources and Charleston County Parks and Recreation, the South Carolina Aquarium will be releasing nine sea turtles back into the ocean on Friday, June 3rd at 3pm. The public is invited to come out to watch eight juvenile green sea turtles and one 200-pound loggerhead be returned to the ocean at Beachwalker County Park on Kiawah Island, SC. Parking space is limited and parking fees apply so we strongly encourage folks to come out to the beach early and to carpool!

Eight of the nine sea turtles being released are green sea turtles that were admitted in December 2010: Charms, Lewbart, Fisher, Cape Lookout, Sandy, Banks and Carteret from NC and Frosty from Hilton, Head, SC. The turtles were cold-stunned, an illness that affects sea turtles when a sudden drop in air temperatures causes coastal water temperatures to drop. This causes sea turtles to get hypothermia and it inhibits their ability to migrate into warm waters. Frosty actually suffered from frostbite and lost the tips of the front flippers. Below are a few photos from the admission of the cold-stunned greens and a more recent picture of several getting sunshine.

The loggerhead, Dawsey, was rescued after stranding on a sandbar at Caper's Inlet. 2 families were instrumental in staying with the wounded turtle until help could arrive. Sarah Dawsey and her crew from the Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge got to the turtle just in time as the tide was rising. Dawsey's massive flipper wounds took several months to heal and she has been receiving physical therapy to increase the range of motion where scar tissue is abundant. She has been medically cleared and will make her return to the ocean on Friday! The photo below depicts what we often see Dawsey doing in her tank...looking out of her window at all the happenings in the hospital. Thanks for being such a great patient, Dawsey!

Huge thanks to everyone involved in the rescue and rehabilitation of these animals - there are so many I can't possibly name you all. Hope to see you Friday!

Kelly

Jammer is one tough turtle

2011-05-31T16:15:00.022-04:00

Jammer, the severely debilitated loggerhead sea turtle from the Isle of Palms, SC, has surprised Sea Turtle Rescue Program staff and volunteers. This animal is one of the most emaciated sea turtles in the history of the program and is still with us a month after being admitted. "Her" carapace is soft around the margins with ribs showing. We have seen soft shells but never distinctive ribs. But even after a month, this turtle isn't out of the woods yet. One of our greatest medical concerns is that the gastrointestinal tract isn't functioning properly. Basically, we just want to see the animal poop.

The good news is that she is starting to behave like a sea turtle that is feeling better and it gives us even more hope that she will survive. The tight circling that she has exhibited for the last 4 weeks is slowing, she is starting so use her pipe to sleep in like all the other patients, and last night when we were admitting 3 new patients, she was actually watching us out of the window in her tank. This behavior is a wonderful change from the turtle that could barely lift her head out of water to take a breath. Below are some photos of her progress.

First, a quick reminder of what Jammer looked like when she arrived:

Below is Jammer 2 weeks after arrival being taken for x-rays:

Jammer swimming in her tank:

And for all of you that have seen the turtles using their pipes for sleeping, this is sure to make you feel good!

Jammer's prognosis is still guarded but there is certainly improvement since she arrived. We are posting periodic updates on her medical case log (on the main hospital webpage) so be sure to check back!

We have been incredibly busy admitting 5 sea turtles in the last 6 days and have fallen behind getting them on the blog. Stay tuned for a post to introduce you to all the newest patients!

Kelly

Loggerhead admitted Friday evening

2011-05-14T14:26:00.015-04:00

The loggerhead captured in waters off of Fort Johnson in James Island, SC, eluded it's rescuers for over 24 hours. It was first seen on Thursday, May 12 with a fishing line and bobber entangled around it's flipper and finally captured late Friday afternoon. The rescue, a team effort by staff from SC Department of Natural Resources and College of Charleston Grice Marine Laboratory, came after many in-water rescue attempts.

Once captured, the sea turtle was transported to the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Rescue Program for medical treatment. Suffering from SCUD (septicemic cutaneous ulcerative disease), the turtle presented with many necrotic skin ulcers. There were also hundreds (perhaps thousands) of marine leeches and leech eggs on the soft tissue, as seen in the photos below. Fortunately, "Grice" was quite active upon arrival and staff is hopeful that this turtle was rescued in time.

Huge thanks to all the folks out at Fort Johnson involved in the rescue of this animal! Also, many thanks to Christi Hughes, Ann Estes, intern Meghan Walsh, and Dr. Jose Biascoechea of Birds and Exotics Veterinary Clinic for the Friday night turtle ER! You guys are amazing!
Kelly Thorvalson

Seven sea turtles being released this Saturday!

2011-05-04T20:28:00.026-04:00

Seven sea turtles will be released this Saturday, May 7th at the Isle of Palms County Park at 5pm. County Park parking fees will apply and parking is limited. We highly encourage you to carpool, even if from somewhere on the island or in Mt. Pleasant, and to come out extra early to avoid traffic.

Meet the sea turtles being released (captions follow each comparison photo):

Ripley

The little green sea turtle, Ripley, was the victim of a boat strike. After months of wound treatment and antibiotics, Ripley has recovered and is ready to rejoin the sea turtle population!

St. Catherine

St. Catherine was caught on a SCDNR research vessel and had an unfortunate run-in with a stingray. The stingray barb broke off in the tissue between the shoulder and neck and had to be surgically removed. St. Catherine is all better and ready to go to her ocean home!

Hyde

Hyde is a juvenile Kemp's ridley sea turtle that was part of cold stunning event off the NC coast in December. Over 100 sea turtles stranded as part of this event. Hyde really likes to sleep with his head in the PVC tube!

Guardian

Guardian is also a Kemp's ridley from the 2010 NC cold stunning event and can often be seen spashing around in her tank, quite different than the lethargic turtle she was at admission.

Hilton

Hilton, a loggerhead sea turtle, washed up last summer on Hilton Head debilitated and covered in barnacles. Hilton has made a great recovery and is one spunky turtle!

Palmer

Palmer, the loggerhead from the Isle of Palms, is one of the most serverely emaciated and anemic sea turtles we have ever treated. 25 pounds heavier and robust, this turtle is ready for the wild!

Pirate

Pirate stranded on Myrtle Beach in front of Pirate Land Campground and was found to be suffering from lockjaw. After 8 months of tube feeding and doing physical therapy on the jaws, he could open his mouth just enough to fit in small peices of fish. Over the next year, he made great progress and is now able to feed on large, live blue crabs. After almost 2 years in our care, this animal is finally ready for release!

We are so excited to be sending these animals home after their remarkable recoveries. Thanks to the SC Department of Natural Resources and all involved in the rescue, rehabilitation and release of these animals!
-Kelly

New stranding admitted to Sea Turtle Hospital

2011-05-02T15:53:00.003-04:00

The Sea Turtle Rescue Program is off to a very busy 2011 stranding season! On Thursday, April 28, a juvenile green sea turtle weighing a little over 8 pounds was found stranded on Kiawah Island, SC. This is the third sea turtle to be admitted to the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital in just three weeks bringing the total patient load to 22 - a new record.

The turtle is named Eugenia after one of the oldest roads on Kiawah, Eugenia Avenue, which also runs parallel to the area on the beach where the turtle stranded. The road was named after Eugenia Royal, the wife of CC Royal who bought the island from the Vanderhorst Family in 1950 for logging purposes. A portion of the road is still unpaved and boasts many of the original homes on the island.

After being weighed, measured, and scanned for tags, Eugenia was treated with fluids and antibiotics. She was put in a shallow tank for two days and has just been given a deeper tank in which to swim. Prognosis for this animal is good. Check the Sea Turtle Hospital webpage for updates on Eugenia's progress.

Thanks to everyone involved in this rescue!!

Kelly Thorvalson

New loggerhead stranding from IOP still hanging on

2011-04-28T09:03:00.022-04:00

On Monday morning, the South Carolina Aquarium received its second stranding of the 2011 season - a severely debilitated loggerhead with a barnacle load greater than ever seen in the facility. The turtle's lethargic state (it was most likely floating in the ocean for quite some time) is what causes the heavy barnacle load.

The loggerhead named Jammer, washed up near the fishing pier on front beach Isle of Palms, SC, just blocks from the popular Windjammer beach club that s/he is named after. This iconic venue has been a local favorite for decades, operating on the island since 1972...even before sea turtles were put on the endangered species list. SCDNR responded to the live stranding and Island Turtle Team members Mary Pringle and Bev Ballow, pulled the turtle from the surf to the safety of the DNR transport vehicle.Upon arrival at the Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital, weights and measurements were taken and diagnostic tests were performed. The heart rate of a healthy sea turtle is ~30 beats per minute (bpm) but this turtle's heart rate was only 7 bpm, a condition called bradycardia. The turtle is also severely emaciated and dehydrated. As expected, the turtle had very low blood glucose and blood protein levels but the hematocrit (percentage of red blood cells in the blood) was actually close to normal. Sea turtles in this debilitated state are usually severely anemic with a very low hematocrit level, so although puzzled by the result, hospital staff was thrilled to get it.
Treatments include oxygen, fluid therapy, vitamins, and antibiotic injections. After 24 hours of treatment, the turtles heart rate had risen to 24 bpm and respirations were stronger. The prognosis is guarded on this animal but we are doing all we possibly can to save it!

Huge thanks to all involved in this rescue!
Kelly

First live stranding of 2011

2011-04-18T16:23:00.021-04:00

At 1.8 kg (4 pounds), the juvenile Kemp's ridley admitted Friday evening is the 2nd smallest sea turtle ever treated by the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Rescue Program. The call about the stranding came from the SCDNR while Veterinarian, Dr. Boylan, and I were attending the International Sea Turtle Conference. Luckily, Aquarium Sea Turtle Biologist, Christi Hughes and hospital intern, Meghan Walsh were on hand to take care of this little guy.

A little turtle with a big name
The turtle is being named after the Folly Beach fishing pier where it was caught: Edwin S. Taylor. It is a big name for a little turtle but Kemp's ridleys are known for their big personalities, so we are pretty sure he will grow into it. Although the fisherman was able to remove the hook before it was swallowed, the turtle is suffering from dehydration and skin lesions. Medical treatments include antibiotics, fluid therapy and external treatment of lesions.

This new stranding brings the Aquarium's sea turtle patient load to 20, the most ever treated at once. But coastal waters are quickly warming and the Sea Turtle Rescue Team is looking forward to releasing many of the rehabilitated patients over the next month or so. Releases are temperature dependant so the dates are not determined yet. Keep checking back to the blog if you are interested in finding out more about these releases.

Thanks to all involved in the rescue of this animal!
Kelly Thorvalson

Earth Fare donates organic produce to feed endangered green sea turtles!

2011-04-06T17:58:00.019-04:00

Since the admission of eight new cold-stunned juvenile green sea turtles last December, we’ve been researching the nutritional value of various produce items in an effort to provide these turtles with foods that best resemble the omnivorous diet they would be consuming at this age in the wild. We began supplementing their daily fish diet with veggies such as romaine lettuce, bell peppers, and kale. The greens happily munched the veggies from newly designed PVC feeders that allowed them to feed off the bottom of their tank in the same way they would graze from a seagrass bed in the wild. Unfortunately, feeding this new produce-based diet to ten turtles on a daily basis was financially straining our resources. We decided to contact John Messinger, Manager at Earth Fare, a local health food supermarket in the West Ashely Windermere Shopping Center known for its selection of local and organic farm fresh fruits and vegetables. John had previously visited our Sea Turtle Hospital and was excited about supporting our efforts to rehabilitate endangered green sea turtles. Earth Fare is now providing us with a weekly donation of produce for our turtles! In addition to staples like romaine lettuce, our greens are now grazing on delicious dandelion greens, cabbage, gold beet leaves, and brussel sprouts on the stalk as seen on the photo below.

On behalf of the South Carolina Aquarium and our ten green sea turtles, we’d like to thank John, Matt Setter and Linda Helms from the produce department, as well as the rest of the Earth Fare crew for all their efforts to help us keep our sea turtles as healthy as possible while undergoing rehabilitation in our Sea Turtle Hospital. Be sure to check Earth Fare out online at http://www.earthfare.com/ and enjoy the video below! Christi Hughes, Sea Turtle Biologist

Little Debbie being released in Florida on Thursday!

2011-04-04T12:18:00.025-04:00

On May 22, 2009, a critically endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle was found on DeBordieu Beach in Georgetown County, SC. The turtle was very thin and barely hanging on to life. Upon arrival at the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital, “Little Debbie” was diagnosed with severe pneumonia and a broken humerus in her front left flipper. It took over a month of nebulizers, antibiotic injections and supportive care for hospital staff to be confident she would survive, although treatments lasted for much longer.

After twenty-three months and a tremendous amount of medical support and care, Little Debbie is being released back into the ocean on Thursday. Without a doubt, she has left a lasting impression on those that have come in close contact with her. She will likely be remembered most for her spunky attitude, often splashing those that get near her tank, and because she is the most fun to watch chase and catch live blue crabs of any sea turtle ever treated in our program!

Many ask if Little Debbie will be o.k. in the wild after being in captive care for almost 2 years. I can say "yes" with confidence for several reasons: Sea turtles are remarkably instinctive and don't imprint like birds or mammals. They are benefitted by their small brains in this fact. Their instincts drive their behavior and you can't take this instinct away in 2 years. I always like to tell folks that our patients “will bite the hands that feed them.” Little Debbie is spunky, quick, and honestly, could care less about us. We are ok with this because our entire goal is to heal them and to get them back into the ocean to rejoin the wild population, in hopes that they will contribute reproductively to that population.

Little Debbie will be picked up very early Thursday morning to be transported to Cape Canaveral, Florida for release. If you’d like to see her one last time, you can visit on one of the Wednesday Sea Turtle Hospital tours, 11:30am or 1pm.

To all of our donors, Stranded Turtle Adoptive Parents, visitors, partners, and volunteers – thank you so much for all you do to make these successes possible! Kelly Thorvalson

Hanahan Middle School saves sea turtles

2011-03-15T09:06:00.012-04:00

Hanahan Middle School (HMS) has won the South East Regionals of the Lexus Eco Challenge for the second consecutive year and has been invited to participate in the final round competing against 15 other schools nationwide for $30,000. Team members include 8th graders Sarah Chandler, Robby Cooper, Amber Dove, Kileigh Joseph, Erika MacGregor, Jonelle Miller, Savannah Moore, Pe'ton Wright and are led by 7th grade science teacher Alexandra Davis.

For the final round, the HMS team is focusing on saving sea turtles, specifically South Carolina's state reptile, the loggerhead sea turtle. This threatened species nests on our beaches each summer. Over the years, their populations have declined due to manmade pressures including coastal development and litter. In order to help save sea turtles, the team hopes to spread this message though various projects.

HMS was challenged to bring in plastic grocery bags to recycle instead of sending to the landfill. They rose to that challenge and brought in a total of 12,700 bags! To replace these bags, reusable bags were sold to raise money for SEWEE. With over 100 sold so far, you can still purchase a turtle bag for only $2.

The Eco Challenge Team visited Hanahan City Council to promote the ban of mass balloon releases in SC by presenting a petition of over 80 community signatures. Letters were also sent to local representatives in support of the bill currently on the House floor. Eco Challenge and Jr. Beta teamed up with Clean City Sweep and cleaned up Brittlebank Park. Being a marsh front park, it is important to pick up the litter before it reaches the oceans. We collected 34 bags of trash, 4 tires, 2 large pieces of dock, and several other interesting items. The team is currently painting a trash can which will be placed in the park promoting the message "Keep it clean as can be, for the turtles of the sea".

The team's favorite part of the project was visiting the South Carolina Aquarium where they learned how to diagnose sick and injured sea turtles in a classroom laboratory and visited the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital to watch the 19 patients being fed. They also raised funds to become Stranded Turtle Adoptive Parents to current turtle patients and collected various wish list items to donate to the hospital.

If you would like to learn more about the team's efforts and see their interviews with local scientists, visit them on Facebook http://on.fb.me/gofSsP and YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/ecochallenge2011.

Together we can make a difference.

Alexandra Davis
7th Grade Science
Hanahan Middle School

Girl Scout Troop raises funds and awareness to help sea turtles

2011-03-01T18:46:00.014-05:00

I am amazed at the initiative and generosity young members of our community are capable of demonstrating. On February 19th, a clever coterie of Girl Scouts from Troop 807 in Mount Pleasant visited our Sea Turtle Hospital to learn more about the dangers sea turtles face in the wild and what we do to rehabilitate them for release back into the Atlantic Ocean. What truly impressed me was that this visit represented the culmination of months of time and effort these girls spent working to help sea turtles!

Troop 807 held multiple fundraising drives at schools and other locales in our community and presented the hospital with both a monetary donation to help provide medical treatment to our patients and much-needed supplies like dish soap, bleach, pens and pencils, even a blender! These Girl Scouts also became Stranded Sea Turtle Adoptive Parents and are so excited about seeing some of the turtles they met during their visit return to the wild at an upcoming release this spring.

The girls created and illustrated an educational booklet titled “How to Save a Sea Turtle.” This full-color booklet contains simple messages about what people can do to help sea turtles.

Finally, the Troop created and brought along “Symphony,” a life-size paper-mâché nesting sea turtle. Symphony joined us for our group picture on the Aquarium’s harbor deck, and we are hoping to incorporate this local work of art into our hospital for tour guests to see and appreciate.
Joy Gay, Matilda Seay, Amaya Clark, Breanna Wilson, Jessica Leiker, Kendra Ruggiero, Sierra Mancine, Emma Lang, Sutton Allen, and Troop 807 leaders Christine and Katie: Thank you for all you’ve done to help sea turtles!

Christi Hughes
Sea Turtle Biologist

Because sea turtles can't surf the internet, continued...

2011-02-21T10:36:00.021-05:00

During Sea Turtle Hospital tours, we often get the question, "Do sea turtles have feeling on their shells?" We are here to tell you, "YES!" In the wild, some sea turtles would naturally scratch their capace or shell on rocky ledges or coral reefs.

For our last entry in the environmental enrichment blog series, we would like to show you how sea turtles scratch their shells in the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital. Since we are unable to provide rocky ledges and coral reefs in the hospital tanks, we build square PVC structures that hang in the water column for sea turtles to use as backscratchers. The green sea turtles are especially fond of the PVC backscratchers, although some didn’t read the instruction manual and use it to sleep on top of like 18th Green below!

The following video is Fisher, one of the NC cold-stunned green sea turtles, loving the backscratcher we recently put in the tank.

There is no room in Frosty's tank section to hang a backscratcher so "he" uses the filter return pipe to scratch his shell.

We have found that the loggerhead and Kemp's ridley sea turtles are much less likely to use the backscratchers the way the greens do (although they do use them in other ways). They enjoy other types of shell stimulation such as water pouring into their tanks and scrub brushes. The next video is the Kemp's ridley, Little Debbie, enjoying a back scrub.

This concludes the sea turtle enrichment blog series from the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Rescue Program. We hope you have enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed putting it together! If you visit the Sea Turtle Hospital, let us know that you that you saw the enrichment blogs so we can show you some of this enrichment in person. All tour days and times are on the main hospital page. We hope to see you soon!

Megan and Kelly

Because sea turtles can't surf the internet, continued...

2011-02-20T10:38:00.005-05:00

Another type of environmental enrichment that we use in the Sea Turtle Hospital is colorful Jolly Balls in the turtle’s tanks. While it would be nice to play a good game a fetch for mental and physical activity, the Jolly Balls serve a much simpler purpose - to add color and dimension to their tanks and help break up the sterile tank environment in which they live.

The ocean is full of natural stimuli for sea turtles. They interact with their environment more than people may think. The video below is just another example of these animals interacting with the environment that we provide. It is a short video of 18th Green enjoying the pressure of incoming water to fill the tank.

Note: 18th Green was admitted with a severe intestinal impaction that caused the turtle to float with the posterior (rear) end up. This caused the neck skin to pinch between the skull and shell, creating a callous on the top of the neck that enlarged over time. The "lump" doesn't appear to be causing any discomfort and is being monitored closely by Dr. Boylan, the Aquarium's veterinarian.

Tomorrow's blog is the last of the series so be sure to check back!

Megan and Kelly

Because sea turtles can't search the internet, continued...

2011-02-19T11:28:00.006-05:00

We treat three species of sea turtles in our hospital: green, Kemp's ridley, and loggerhead. To keep them all mentally stimulated, we do our best to offer natural food enrichment. Green sea turtles are primarily vegetarians and feed on sea grasses and algae in the ocean. Although we can't feed this normal ocean vegetation, we do give them a diet consisting of a variety of garden vegetables including but not limited to romaine and red leaf lettuces, cabbage, collard greens and bell peppers.

Below is a video of juvenile green sea turtles feeding from PVC feeders made especially to hold vegetation and sink to the bottom of the tank. This allows the turtles to feed as they would in the wild. Enjoy...

For our loggerheads and larger Kemp's ridleys, a part of their natural diet is hard shelled prey. To give them a hunting opportunity, we offer them live blue crabs. We clip the crab's claws to prevent any unnecessary injury to the turtles, but interestingly enough, most of the turtles disarm the crabs first anyways! The more "skilled" hunters remove both of the claws before moving on to the rest of the crab. Some of our turtles aren't that patient though, and just dig right in! It gets interesting when a blue crab hides under or near the rear end of our turtles to prevent being discovered. It's usually a short lived disguise. Occasionally once the chase is on, a blue crab will sneak through a pipe cuff....and from there on out the hospital staff gets a good laugh as the turtle swims around with the pipe cuff on it's head, convinced that's where the crab went! Check out our video below of Little Pritchard's short lived chase of a live blue crab!

Little Debbie, a large juvenile Kemp's ridley, is known for an entertaining crab chase. Follow this link for great footage of Little Debbie in action! http://bit.ly/ijjAWd

All of our live blue crabs are brought in by donation. Big shout out to our regular suppliers that help us feed crabs to the sea turtles year round: Terry Heinz - long time SCA volunteer and a dedicated crab supplier (pictured below), Bill Thorsby, Wilby Halsapple, Jim and the kids, Ernie, and Rachel Brennan - the turtles thank you!

We hope you're enjoying our enrichment blog series. Check back tomorrow for another blog, you won't want to miss out!

Megan and Kelly

Because sea turtles can't surf the internet, continued...

2011-02-15T21:08:00.011-05:00

We give several types of food enrichment and the one featured here is the fish pop. Fish pops are our take on a popsicle! Only the turtles don’t get a choice between grape and cherry. They get a choice between mackerel, smelt, capelin, or herring! We take a portion of their fish diet and freeze it into an extra large popsicle. It is a riot to watch the turtles nose the floating fish pop around the tank trying to get their mouths around it. The fish pop melts over time giving the turtles a tasty reward for their efforts. This type of enrichment breaks up the normal feeding routine while providing their daily allotment of food.

Enjoy the video of Santee with her fish pop!

Be sure to check in tomorrow to learn about two additional types of food enrichment!

Megan and Kelly

Because sea turtles can't surf the internet...

2011-02-15T17:50:00.025-05:00

When you think of a rehabilitation facility, the physical health probably comes to mind. And rightly so, the patients wouldn’t be here unless they were injured in some way. However, less thought about in a rehabilitation setting is the animal’s mental health. At the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Rescue Program, we also take the animal’s mental health into consideration with environmental enrichment.

Environmental enrichment aims to enhance animal activity and provide mental stimulation, adding interesting and complex activities to the animals’ daily routine. While sea turtles are not known for their intelligence, we would like to keep their brains healthy for when they do make their return to the wild. However, what humans would use to keep themselves occupied would be highly inappropriate for our sea turtles – they can’t text their friends, read a book, or work a crossword puzzle. So we came up with a few things the turtles do like.

If you’ve ever visited the hospital (and if you haven’t, I highly suggest you do!), you’ve probably wondered and maybe even asked what the PVC pipe cuffs in the bottom of their tanks are used for. It’s an amazing phenomenon and we are all still amused by it. As you will see in the photos below, the turtles use the pipe cuffs when they sleep! In the wild, sea turtles often sleep under ledges or coral reefs away from sharks, one of their few natural predators. In the Sea Turtle Hospital, they sleep with their heads buried inside the pipes. It’s like their personal security blanket during their stay at the hospital. It takes some longer than others to catch on, but by now almost all of our new cold stunned turtles are using them.

And then there is Lewbart, one of the little NC cold stunned green sea turtles, who has to be different than all the others. This little guy insists on using the pipe cuff for a back scratcher. The photo below shows Lewbart after he worked the pipe onto his back. Next is the video of how hard he works to get it there!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's enrichment blog...

Megan Walsh, Sea Turtle Rescue Intern and Kelly Thorvalson, Sea Turtle Rescue Manager

Frosty makes great progress!

2011-02-14T11:01:00.014-05:00

Frosty was one of the most severe of the cold stunned sea turtles admitted by the Sea Turtle Rescue Program this winter. On December 15, the small green sea turtle was rescued from the beach on Hilton Head Island after a night of temperatures well below freezing.

Supportive care was given and the turtle was warmed slowly. The prognosis was very poor but each morning, hospital staff would return to work to find the turtle hanging on to life. Within days, the tips of Frosty's front left flipper turned white. Frostbite is an injury caused by the freezing of skin and tissues and as seen in Frosty’s case, normally affects distal extremities.

Debridement or surgery to remove necrosing tissue could result in damage to healthy tissue so the wound was allowed to take its course. The photos below show the process. During this time, the turtle was receiving two antibiotics, fluid and vitamin therapy, as well as pain medication.

The next image is a striking comparison of the flipper from photographs taken on January 5 and February 9. During this time, Frosty's appetite and behavior have improved drastically. Bloodwork has improved, as well. Great progress!

Stay tuned for a video of Frosty in a blog series on sea turtle enrichment that will start this week. In fact, intern, Megan Walsh and I will be bringing you several videos of sea turtles in our hospital that you won't want to miss!

Kelly

Cathedral Academy kids arrive with get well cards and gifts

2011-02-08T16:52:00.007-05:00

For a few minutes on Friday morning, it felt like a normal hospital where visitors bring cards and flowers to make ailing loved ones feel better. But this time, the cards and gifts were for the sick and injured sea turtles at the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Rescue Program.

Cathedral Academy students, parents and teachers, visited the Sea Turtle Hospital armed with beautiful, homemade, get well cards and much needed hospital supplies such as trash bags, sponges and dish soap.

It was obvious that a great deal of time, effort and love went into each and every card. The covers were sparkling and creative, and inside contained personal messages and poems to the patients. Each child was thrilled to meet the turtle whose card he or she had worked so hard to create. It was a wonderful tour with kids very excited about helping sea turtles.

Thank you, Cathedral Academy!

Kelly Thorvalson

Huge thanks to Kiawah Island Community Association for 4WD truck donation!

2011-01-31T16:30:00.003-05:00

The Kiawah Island Community Association (KICA) pulled through once again! Kelly Bragg and Shannon White from KICA, arrived at the South Carolina Aquarium on Friday to donate a 4WD Toyota Tacoma truck. This is the second truck to be retired from KICA and donated to the Aquarium in less than a year! Although this particular truck will be useful in many situations for the Aquarium, it will be primarily used by the Sea Turtle Rescue Program for educational outreach and to drive rehabilitated sea turtles onto local beaches for release.

Above: A nice, new ride for our rehabilitated sea turtles!

Above, left to right: SC Aquarium CEO, Kevin Mills; KICA Board of Directors Chair, Kelly Bragg; STRP Manager, Kelly Thorvalson

The first truck donated by KICA, a 4-cylinder Toyota Tacoma pickup truck, was delivered in the summer of 2010. That donation came right on the heels of two ~10-year old Aquarium owned vehicles breaking down to the point of no return (after we eeked every mile possible out of them), so the gift could not have been better timing.

Thank you Kelly, Shannon and the entire Kiawah Island Community Association - we are forever grateful!

Kelly Thorvalson
Sea Turtle Rescue Program Manager

Wednesday is your last chance to visit hatchlings!

2011-01-25T17:18:00.007-05:00

We have just learned that the green sea turtle hatchlings will be leaving very early Thursday morning to be released in Florida by the SC Department of Natural Resources. If you would live to visit them before they go, tomorrow is your last chance! Get up close to 19 sea turtle patients as well as 38 hatchlings by taking a behind-the-scenes tour of the South Carolina Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital at 11:30am or 1pm. There is a small fee in addition to Aquarium admission.

For a full schedule of tour days and times, visit the Sea Turtle Rescue Program webpage at http://www.scaquarium.org/STR/default.html.

Hope to see you there!
Kelly Thorvalson

Support the Ban of Mass Balloon Releases in SC

2011-01-17T17:54:00.004-05:00

What goes up must come down...we’re talking about helium filled balloons. Thousands end up in our waterways and the ocean. They can be deadly to marine animals and birds that mistake them for food or become entangled in the ribbons. Mass balloon releases have been banned in at least seven states nationwide, multiple cities, and in other areas around the world, but South Carolina still allows them. Even though many balloons are made of biodegradable latex, they take months to degrade and wild animals ingest them prior to that time. According to the Marine Conservation Society, dolphins, whales, seabirds and turtles have died from balloons.

That’s why students at Belton Elementary School in Belton, South Carolina, wrote to state lawmakers asking for a ban on massive balloon releases. These students understand that it is vital to keep litter out of our beautiful state and to ensure the survival of wildlife, including threatened and endangered sea turtles. A bill to ban mass balloon releases in SC will be voted on soon and we are asking you to support this ban by writing your state representative. This bill can only get passed if it has your support!

A letter to you from Belton Elementary students: www.bit.ly/jrwildlifeprotectors.

You must have your 9-digit zip code to find your state representative. You can get that at http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp. With your 9-digit zip code, you can find you’re your state representative at http://www.scstatehouse.gov/cgi-bin/zipcodesearch.exe. Whether you use wording from the student’s letter, the above e-mail or use your own words, tell your state representative that mass balloon releases should be banned in SC!

Find out more about how balloons harm animals at these links:
http://www.longwood.edu/cleanva/balloons.htm
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/balloon-releases827.html#cr
http://www.ukrivers.net/upupandaway.html

Thank you for keeping South Carolina beautiful!

Kelly Thorvalson, Sea Turtle Rescue Program Manager
Kate Dittloff, Public Relations Manager
South Carolina Aquarium

19 patients being treated by Sea Turtle Rescue Program

2011-01-12T16:19:00.040-05:00

Caring for 19 sea turtle patients and many green sea turtle hatchlings has left virtually no time to keep the blog updated! Luckily, much of this busy time for the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Rescue Program has been documented on YouTube, the Aquarium's Facebook Page, by the media, and on Barb Bergwerf's website. Below are several links that we encourage you to visit to learn all that has been going on in the last month!

Two late green sea turtle nests from Garden City were incubated indoors by the SC Department of Natural Resources so they wouldn't perish when cold weather set in. In early December, the first "round" of hatchlings (56) were cared for in our Sea Turtle Hospital. Read about their release at http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/12/19/1876943/garden-citys-baby-turtles-go-out.html. The second round of hatchlings (38) currently being cared for are awaiting cooperative weather for an offshore release.

The little Kemp's ridley, May, that was injured by a boat propeller (photo below on right was just after admitted) in May 2010 was released in early December to make room for cold-stunned turtles. May was joined by two rehabilitated VA sea turtles (photo below on left) and one GA sea turtle for a multi-facility release. Read all about it in the Post and Courier:
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/dec/10/a-foamy-farewell-in-florida/

Kate Dittloff, the Aquarium's Public Relations Manager, put together a great video of the arrival of the 14 cold-stunned sea turtles from NC on December 13 and a couple of photos are below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71qmga0mgi8

An article ran in the Wall Street Journal online on December 15, just two days after the sea turtles arrived from NC: http://online.wsj.com/article/AP2dc89b855ccb41e49e183e2692c682f5.html

National Geographic blogged the arrival and treatment of the cold-stunned sea turtles. See this blog here: http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2010/12/cold-sea-puts-stunned-turtles.html

Just after the Aquarium admitted more turtles than ever before, a local cold-stunned sea turtle arrived at the South Carolina Aquarium on December 16: http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/dec/16/cold-stunned-turtle-in-sc-a-surprise/. The first two photos are of Frosty being admitted and the second two are of the progression of the frostbite on the left front flipper.

And an update on January 11, 2011 from the Post and Courier: http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/jan/05/on-the-mend/

You can always keep up with the Sea Turtle Rescue Program on long time volunteer and photographer, Barbara Bergwerf's website at http://www.bergwerfgraphics.com/

If ever there is a time to visit the South Carolina Aquarium and Sea Turtle Hospital, it would be now! The hatchlings and a few of the cold stunned turtles are going to be released in the next few weeks. All tour information is on the Aquarium's website.

Huge thanks to SC Department of Natural Resources staff and everyone else involved in the rescue, transport, treatment and continued care for these sea turtles. Your endless efforts are truly amazing! And many thanks to all of our supporters - we couldn't do what we do without you!

Kelly Thorvalson

Sea Turtle Rescue Program Manager

Sea Turtle Rescue Tree in Beaufort's Festival of Trees

2010-12-12T13:06:00.033-05:00

Caroline Hospice in Beaufort, SC hosts a Festival of Trees each year to welcome the holiday season and raise money for the organization. This year, the three turtle nest protection groups from the Beaufort area, Fripp, Hunting and Harbor Islands, sponsored a Sea Turtle Rescue Tree in the festival. How exciting to decorate a Christmas tree with sea turtles!

First on the list of things to do was make turtle ornaments. Sea Turtle Rescue Program staff and volunteers got together at volunteer Patricia DeVito's home one evening for a decoration making "soiree". It was great fun as you can see from the photos below!

The dough ornaments were baked and then the creativity in all of us kicked in!

Although a few of the turtles looked like they were recuperating from missing limbs and boat strikes, most were beautiful! Over 100 sparkling sea turtle ornaments were created with lots of TLC, much like the care we give to our patients.

The tree decorating took place on Sunday, December 5th, while Sea Turtle Rescue Program staff were attending a conference in Florida. Although we hated to miss the culmination of our ornament making efforts, several hospital volunteers offered to take the lead in decorating the tree in Beaufort.

Barb Gobien is showing off one of the photo ornaments of turtles that have been rehabilitated in the Sea Turtle Hospital. Our photographer, Barb Bergwerf made these fantastic ornaments that tell the story of the patients. Not pictured here is the wonderful sea turtle tree skirt that Barb Gobien made. How did we get such talented volunteers?

This little Santa turtle is part of the tree topper - so cute!

The tree is BEAUTIFUL! It went up for auction fully decorated and was won by none other than Janie Lackman, head of the Fripp Island Turtle Team. We hope you enjoy the tree, Janie!

The Sea Turtle Rescue Program Volunteers are pictured with leaders of the Fripp and Hunting Island Turtle Teams. Clockwise from bottom: Fran Nolan (Hunting Island), Barb Gobien, Patricia DeVito, Jackie Huffman, Bev Ballow, and Janie Lackman (Fripp Island)

Not only was this a great way to spread the good word about the wonderful work being done to rehabilitate sick and injured sea turtles at the South Carolina Aquarium, but it was great fun for rescue staff and volunteers. We would like to send a huge thank you to Janie, Fran and Buddy from the Beaufort turtle teams and also to our wonderfully talented and dedicated volunteer staff! We are so fortunate to have each one of you working with us!

Merry Christmas from all of us at the South Carolina Aquarium!
Kelly

Turtle Van Gogh creates the perfect holiday gift!

2010-11-29T15:08:00.012-05:00

Is there someone on your shopping list this year that has everything? Leave it to the turtles!

The Sea Turtle Rescue Program has a few non-sea turtle residents that can help you find the perfect gift for the animal lover on your list. As a part of environmental enrichment for our diamondback terrapins and eastern box turtles, we have skillfully trained them to paint! Ok, so there’s not much skill or training involved. All we do is let the turtles walk through non-toxic, water based paint and onto a canvas to create a beautiful piece of art. We just have to pick the “right” colors!

Environmental enrichment aims to enhance animal activity and provide mental stimulation, adding interesting and complex activities to the animals’ daily routine. It’s interactive for the turtles, fun for the volunteers, and the results are stunning. On your next visit to the aquarium, stop by the Welcome Desk and they will gladly show you all of our animal art. Each masterpiece comes with a photo of the artist and a Certificate of Authenticity. And while we’re partial to reptiles at the Sea Turtle Rescue Program, there are otter and penguin paintings, too! Come check it out, you will not be disappointed.

Happy Holidays!

Megan Walsh, Sea Turtle Rescue Program Intern

Santee finally rests on the bottom of her tank!

2010-11-19T09:07:00.009-05:00

Two months after Santee was admitted by the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Rescue Program, she is finally resting comfortably on the bottom of her tank! This is a great relief to staff and volunteers after many trips to get the huge loggerhead to the medical lab for a total of 45 radiographs, after tube feeding mineral oil and spirulina on 12 occasions, and only being able to keep her in 2 feet of water because of the severe angle at which she floated. Most of all, we are relieved that we don't have to do surgery to remove the stubborn impaction that plagued Santee for so long.

The impaction caused a gas build-up in Santee's intestinal tract which made her float at a severe angle for two months.

The impaction was caused by several extremely large pieces of horseshoe crab shell bound together with fecal material. Once the impaction moved out of the turtle, we knew it was just a matter of time before the intestinal gas moved through as well. And that happened yesterday!

Santee finally resting comfortably on the bottom of her tank.

Santee is finally on a normal feeding schedule including live hard-shelled prey. She not only chases after live crabs but also after the nets and tubes we use to clean her tank. She is obviously feeling better!

Huge thanks to all who have helped with this turtle and especially Captain Chad Ferris who rescued her. Come visit Santee and the other nine sea turtles that are rehabilitating at the South Carolina Aquarium...it's the hottest tour in town!

Kelly

Palmer has improved dramatically!

2010-11-09T14:27:00.014-05:00

Five months ago, Palmer came to us on death's door. The lethargic loggerhead was skin on bones, severely anemic, had no detectable blood glucose, and the bony carapace was soft around the edges from being metabolized by the turtle for survival. These severely debilitated turtles are tough - over a month into rehabilitation and we still weren't confident "she" would live. But slowly she started making that turn for the better, putting on a small amount of weight and blood parameters climbing, little by little. As you can see by the comparison photos below, she has come a long way now!

For the first two months, Palmer was floating at the surface of her tank. In the photo below, she was cleaned of the barnacles and algae but was still so lethargic that most who saw her like this didn't believe she was alive.

And look at her now...almost 20 pounds heavier, flapping her flippers and getting us wet as we take her out of the tank. That's what we like to see!

We are all thrilled with the progress that Palmer has made. She will continue to improve over the winter months and will hopefully be ready for release next summer. Until then, book your reservation for the South Carolina Aquarium and Sea Turtle Hospital tour and come see Palmer for yourself!

PS - Thanks for the amazing photos, Barb!

Kelly

A note from Megan, a Sea Turtle Rescue Program Intern

2010-11-03T11:30:00.017-04:00

Hello everyone! As you may already know, the Sea Turtle Rescue Program could not run without it's roughly 16 volunteers. Among those volunteers are 2 interns working for college credit and/or experience within their field. I happen to be one of them, and I'd just like to introduce myself and in the future, keep you updated on some of the things that are happening around the Sea Turtle Hospital!

The Sea Turtle Hospital

My name is Megan and I've lived my entire life in Wisconsin, until now. I know, I know, there aren't very many sea turtle strandings in Wisconsin! But upon graduating from the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, with a major in Wildlife Education, I was looking for internships to further my career. Thankfully, I crossed paths with the South Carolina Aquarium and the Sea Turtle Rescue Program on the internet. After going through the application and interview process, and moving my entire life in one tiny little car down to Charleston (including my dog), I'm happy to report that it was love at first sight! I had never experienced sea turtles in close proximity before but on my first day working at the South Carolina Aquarium, I was in awe of them thinking what amazing creatures they are and how they need out help to thrive in the world's oceans.

Treating and wrapping the flipper wound on a 190-pound loggerhead, Dawsey.

Intern duties are varied. Most days include food prep and feeding our turtles a varied diet they need to become healthy again. The Sea Turtle Hospital has provided many firsts for the non-seafood-lover that I am...cutting up raw fish, de-tailing shrimp, and feeding live blue crabs to sea turtles (more on this later in another post!). Interns are also responsible for helping with general cleaning of the tanks and the hospital, helping with public tours that are given 5 days a week (Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 11:30am and 1pm), never ending laundry, and many other random projects that need to be done. However, if there is a stranded turtle, we may come in on our day off to assist with the initial treatments. On the days that we're actually scheduled to work, our afternoons may be filled with treatments for that turtle. These treatments are time consuming but also very rewarding!

Above: Assisting in surgery to remove a stingray barb from the neck of an endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle.

Above: Giving physical therapy to a green sea turtle, Ripley, that is suffering from partial paralysis due to a boat strike very close to the spinal cord.

That is all for now, but please check back for updates on some of the exciting things happening around the hospital - like the different forms of enrichment for both our sea turtles and our "honorary turtles" that have taken up temporary residence in the hospital.

Megan Walsh
Sea Turtle Rescue Program Intern

A new Kemp's ridley patient - St. Catherine

2010-10-26T10:40:00.018-04:00

A 26-pound Kemp's ridley sea turtle was transported to the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital by the SC Department of Natural Resources at 7am on Saturday morning. The turtle was captured on Friday by a DNR research vessel sampling near St. Catherine's Island, GA. A southern stingray barb punctured the skin and was broken and deeply embedded in the neck/shoulder region.

Above: The turtle presented with a puncture wound between the neck and shoulder.

Above: Sea Turtle Biologist, Christi Hughes, and intern, Megan Walsh, weighed and measured the turtle upon arrival.
Above: The neck and shoulder were very swollen due to the venomous nature of the stingray barb.

Above: Radiographs were taken to determine the exact location of the barb.

Above: With the turtle anesthetized, Dr. Shane Boylan assisted by several members of the Sea Turtle Rescue Team, surgically removed the barb.

Above: Once the barb was removed, the wound was stitched and the turtle was recovered from anesthesia.

St. Catherine recieved an injection of dexamethasone, a steroid primarily used as an anti-inflammatory, as well as fluid therapy on Saturday and Sunday. "She" is also on 2 antibiotics and pain medication. Because of her lethargic state after surgery, she was left in dry dock (out of water) until Monday morning. Hospital staff were pleased when the tank was filled with water and St. Catherine swam very well, without favoring the right flipper at all.

Thanks to the SCDNR SEAMAP crew for taking great care of the turtle until they could reach Charleston, to SCDNR Marine Turtle Conservation Program crew for responding and coordinating the rescue, and to our Sea Turtle Rescue Team that spends countless hours, day and night, holidays and weekends, providing top quality medical care to these animals. Go team!

Kelly

Dawsey's flipper much improved

2010-10-25T10:28:00.015-04:00

Dawsey is feeling better and making quite a splash with those that meet her! This is quite a change from the lethargic state in which she was found on September 6th. At the time, the infected flipper wounds were decaying, there was exposed bone and she was likely suffering from septecemia. Once admitted into the Sea Turtle Hopspital, Dawsey was often placed on the gurney (pictured below) or on a large tire for treatment so we could effectively treat wound on the ventral side of the flipper.

In the 45 days that she been recieving medical treatment, the wounds are healing beautifully. Below are dated photographs that allow you to see the changes in this dorsal flipper wound.
Below is a photo of the ventral wound, just to give you an idea of what we are dealing with. There is a deep pocket under the skin that is not visible here.

We are thrilled with the speed at which Dawsey is healing. She is off all medications and is recieving a healthy diet to include live blue crabs. She still has very limited use of the injured flipper so physical therapy has been initiated. Range of motion in the flipper has increased as a result of this therapy and it will continue until we see normal flipper movement.

We'll keep you posted on her progress!
Kelly

160-pound sea turtle rescued by local fisherman

2010-09-30T12:35:00.023-04:00

September 22nd started as just another day at work for charter fisherman, Chad Ferris. While fishing in the Santee Pass behind Caper's Island, Chad pointed out a loggerhead sea turtle at the surface of the water to his customer from Atlanta. Sea turtles surfacing to breath or bask are a familiar sight for anyone who spends lots of time on the water in the Lowcountry. That's why after watching the large loggerhead trying to dive for 30 minutes with no success, Chad knew she needed help. The two men mustered the strength and agility to lift the 160-pound turtle from the water into the boat (without falling in!) and headed for the Isle of Palms Marina to meet the SC Department of Natural Resources staff and volunteers.

Once the turtle was admitted into the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital, she was given supportive care to include fluid therapy, antibiotic and vitamin injections and diagnostics tests such as a blood analysis, ultrasound and radiographs (x-rays). Thousands of hatching marine leech eggs and some adult leeches were removed from the turtle's skin.

Radiographs revealed an intestinal impaction (pictured below) and gas trapped on the right side of the intestinal tract, which is causing Santee to float at a severe angle. She is being held in very shallow water to keep her floating on a level plane and is receiving regular tubing of mineral oil and lactulose for aid in moving the impaction.

Keep track of Santee's progress on the main hospital webpage and be sure to schedule a visit with her and all the other patients at the South Carolina Aquarium!

Huge thanks to Chad Ferris for recognizing this turtle needed help and responding. It is so important to recognize the part that our community plays in rescuing these threatened and endangered species. You are our eyes out there!

As always, we thank the SC Department of Natural Resources staff and volunteers for respondering to strandings and to the South Carolina Aquarium volunteers and that make this all possible.

Kelly

190-pound loggerhead admitted into South Carolina Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital

2010-09-08T15:33:00.010-04:00

We had just returned from 6 hours of nest inventory work on Cape Island Monday when an unusual stranding call came in. Good friends enjoying the Labor Day holiday were boating around Capers Inlet and had come across a large loggerhead sea turtle with an injured flipper stranded on the sandbar at low tide. After a short discussion, we all realized that time was of the essence if we wanted to rescue the wounded loggerhead because the tide was turning. The Smiths, no strangers to sea turtles, said they would stay with the turtle until help arrived.

The Smith Family with the injured 190-pound loggerhead.

Sarah Dawsey has led the USFWS Cape Romain Sea Turtle Project for many years and not only was she working on Labor Day but it was her birthday as well. Sarah, Jerry Tupacz, Arturo Herrera from SCDNR and I put the boat back in the water in response to the stranding call. By the time we made it over to Capers Inlet, the sandbars were diminishing under the rising tide and the turtle (all 190 pounds of her) had swam off. The Smith’s were doing their best to keep an eye on her and when we arrived, were able to point us in the direction of the turtle in last tide pool just before the ocean. It would only have been minutes before the turtle made her way over the last bit of sandbar to freedom, and most likely, death.

Sarah Dawsey, Arturo Herrera, Mark Smith and Jerry Tupacz getting turtle to boat.

After the boat rescue, the turtle was loaded into the SCDNR truck and transported to the Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital where treatment began. She had two large open wounds on the front left flipper that were terribly infected and was suffering from septicemia. The turtle hardly used the hurt limb. Treatment included 2 antibiotics, subcutaneous fluids, pain medications and wound treatment. Blood was taken for analysis and the loggerhead was left in a shallow pool of water for the night.

Huge thanks goes out to Mark, Shannon, Audrey and Johnny Otis Smith for their willingness to stay with the injured sea turtle for 2 hours until its rescue. Also to Sarah Dawsey and Jerry Tupacz of USFWS for extending their work day (especially on Sarah’s birthday) and reacting so quickly to launch the boat. Lastly, huge thanks to Arturo Herrera from SCDNR for staying for 2 additional hours to help maneuver this huge animal around the Sea Turtle Hospital – I couldn’t have done it without him!

In celebration of Sarah’s many achievements in sea turtle conservation, her unwavering determination to save yet another turtle and simply as a birthday gift, the turtle has been affectionately named Dawsey. You will be able to find future updates for Dawsey on the main hospital webpage.
Kelly

Small green sea turtle admitted to the Sea Turtle Hospital

2010-08-31T21:56:00.008-04:00

The 6.5 pound green sea turtle with a propeller strike across the shell was picked up by the SCDNR Monday afternoon at Ripley Light Marina in Charleston and luckily, didn't have far to travel for medical attention. The injured turtle had been spotted over the weekend in the waters around the Ashley River but had just been able to be captured.
With preliminary bloodwork completed, hospital staff were elated to get a PCV of 26, an indicator that the turtle had not lost a lot of blood. The wound was flushed with copious amounts of saline and with every syringe, the turtle flinched with pain. In addition to subcutaneous fluids and an antibiotic injection, Ripley received pain medications to make "him" more comfortable. Finally, the wound was packed with silver-sulfadiazine, an ointment with antibacterial and antifungal agents, and placed in a small tub with wet foam overnight.

This wound is deep and it is difficult to see if lung tissue has been compromised. The prognosis is still guarded but we are hopeful for a full recovery.

Thanks to the folks at Ripley Light Marina for their assistance in rescuing this animal and to Arturo from SCDNR for transporting it to the Aquarium. Future updates will be posted on the main hospital webpage.

Kelly

Folly Beach sea turtle release

2010-08-31T12:05:00.011-04:00

Saturday was a perfect day for a sea turtle release! South Carolina Aquarium staff and volunteers started setting up on Folly Beach around 2:30 pm and spectators gathered soon after, attempting to beat the crowds for a parking place and a good spot on the ropes. The release took place at 4 pm and hundreds were there to take it all in.

Below: Intern Kristen Jay from Folly Beach gives spectators a closer view before letting Surfer crawl to the water on "his" own. Once on the sand, the endangered Kemp's ridley didn't stop until he hit the water!

Below: Dr. Boylan and I give Santos a lift down the beach and much to the amusement of the onlookers, the loggerhead proceeded to turn around a couple of times. It only took a little encouragement for Santos to make his way to the water for a memorable release.

Thanks to all that are involved in making this happen - there are too many to name but you know who you are!

Kelly

North Myrtle gets released after 2 years of treatment

2010-08-30T08:45:00.010-04:00

The 100-pound loggerhead sea turtle, North Myrtle, was released Tuesday, August 24 after being treated for just under 2 years by the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Rescue Program. North Myrtle was admitted with 7 fractures in the carapace (top shell) on September 3, 2008. North Myrtle was also suffering from pneumonia upon arrival at the Sea Turtle Hospital and was in critical condition for over a month. Below is a photo of North Myrtle a week after being admitted.

About four months after arriving at the Sea Turtle Hospital, the dead bone had finally all come out and healthy granulation tissue replaced open wounds. Keratin (the brown layer over the bone) also started its slow growth which would eventually provide stability and a protective barrier to the fractures.

It took almost 2 years for the carapace to stabilize enough for the turtle to be released but that day finally arrived on August 24th. North Myrtle was released from the Aquarium's Scout boat a few miles off the coast of Folly Beach.

North Myrtle was not only a difficult medical case to treat but "she" was a difficult turtle to take care of - period. She was picky about the types of fish she ate, messy when she decided to eat, and consistently splashed her caregivers and anyone else that came close to her tank. Not only that, but staff and volunteers were ALWAYS having to squeegee water from around her tank to keep the area safe to walk. For all of these reasons and simply because she defied death, North Myrtle has left a lasting impression on any and all that met her. We wish her the best in that big (and dangerous) ocean out there.

Thank you to all that have been a part of making this animal's release a reality!
Kelly

Sea Turtle Beach Release Saturday, August 28th at Folly Beach County Park!

2010-08-25T15:55:00.014-04:00

In partnership with the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission and the SC Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), the South Carolina Aquarium will release 2 rehabilitated sea turtles at the Folly Beach County Park on Saturday, August 28 at 4pm. County Park parking fees apply.

The 100-pound loggerhead, Santos, was cold-stunned off the New England coast in the winter of ‘08 and treated for a year at the Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center at the University of New England. In November of ‘09, the turtle was transported to the South Carolina Aquarium to finish healing, catching a ride in a small Piper Twin Comanche with private pilot, Ronnie Santos from Mount Pleasant, SC. We are grateful for Ronnie and the East Cooper Pilot’s Association for this wonderful support!

The juvenile Kemp’s ridley, Surfer, was caught on hook and line just 4 months ago by a surf fisherman on Hilton Head, SC. Kemp’s ridleys are commonly found in near shore waters in the summertime and are prone to getting caught by recreational fishermen. Surfer underwent surgery to remove the hook that was deeply embedded in the esophagus. A hook that is left in the esophagus of a turtle in the wild can be problematic, possibly resulting in death and we congratulate all fishermen who turn these “hooked” endangered species over to the SCDNR.
Sea turtle releases often draw large crowds so it is strongly advised that if you are attending, plan for heavy traffic onto Folly Beach and especially out to the County Park. Carpool if possible, as parking may be limited. We look forward to seeing you there!

Kelly

Kids put their money where their hearts are...

2010-08-10T13:16:00.015-04:00

I am consistently amazed by the generosity of many young people that give so willingly and selflessly to organizations like the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Rescue Program. Three wonderful donations from kids have come in over the last couple of months and I would like to share their stories with you:

6-year old Emmett lives in Orlando, Florida and on a trip to visit his uncle in Charleston during the winter holidays, the family toured the South Carolina Aquarium and Sea Turtle Hospital. Emmett especially enjoyed meeting the sea turtle patients and went home with ideas on how he could help them. Emmett made and sold bracelets and was able to raise $125! I am told that Emmett has more fundraising planned for the hospital and we are grateful for his commitment to sea turtle conservation!

13-year old Mackenzie from Gahanna, Ohio visited the Sea Turtle Hospital last summer and was fortunate to see the release of 3 sea turtles during her trip. It was after this visit that she made it her mission to help the sick and injured sea turtles in our care. Mackenzie recently returned to Charleston in celebration of her 13th birthday and donated $700 that she raised for the Sea Turtle Rescue Program in lieu of receiving gifts. Happy 13th Birthday, Mackenzie!

Ethan Harrison from Ontario, Canada has been raising funds for the Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Rescue Program since he was 4-years old. From thousands of miles away, Ethan has supported the sea turtles for half of his life! Now 8, Ethan recently visited Charleston to deliver his latest and largest donation of $2000 bringing Ethan’s total donation to about $5000 in 4 years! It has been wonderful to watch Ethan grow and one thing never changes, his passion for helping sea turtles!

These kids are making a difference in the world. Their donations help to rehabilitate sick and injured sea turtles, giving them another chance at life. But much bigger is the impact these kids have on the people they come into contact with during their fundraising efforts. Every birthday party attendee or person adorned with a bracelet to save the sea turtles, every individual shopping at the garage sale or the station attendant giving money for bottle deposits that help save sea turtles, every friend, teacher, aunt or uncle who hears and learns from these children – these kids are educating, advocating and making a much bigger difference in sea turtle conservation than we all know!

Thank you Emmett, Mackenzie, Ethan and all the kids who are making a difference in the world!

Stranded loggerhead from Hilton Head admitted into Sea Turtle Hospital

2010-07-21T00:40:00.007-04:00

The SC Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) arrived yesterday afternoon with a loggerhead sea turtle that washed up on Hilton Head's front beach. In order to keep the turtle from overheating in the back of the covered SCDNR truck on the drive to Charleston, the young loggerhead was placed in a kiddie pool with shallow water and covered in wet towels. Ice was packed around the pool to keep the temperature cool in this southern July heat.

The turtle's carapace (shell) was 90% covered with marine growth including barnacles, mussels, tube worms, skeleton shrimp and slipper shells. Marine leeches were also present on the soft tissue. Outside of this marine growth and the obvious lethargy, the patient's external condition is actually fair, unlike most of the animals we admit into our hospital.

Normal admission procedures were performed to find out more about the turtle's condition which would help determine the treatment plan. These procedures included taking measurements, scanning for tags, drawing blood, measuring heart rate and conducting a thorough physical examination. Initial treatment included fluid therapy, antibiotics, vitamin injections and a shallow tank of fresh water to kill the marine growth and help keep the turtle hydrated overnight.

A huge thanks goes to the Hilton Head folks that found this turtle as they walked searching for sea turtle nests on the beach. Also to Jenna Cormany from SCDNR for the hours on the road to get this animal treatment. As always, we owe a tremendous amount of thanks to our incredible volunteer crew and interns at the South Carolina Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital.

This turtle will be posted on the main hospital page with more details of condition, treatment and photographs. Please check back for regular updates!

Kelly

18th Green and May showing signs of improvement; Palmer still not out of the woods

2010-06-29T12:17:00.029-04:00

Three sea turtles admitted into the South Carolina Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital over the last 8 weeks have been undergoing intense medical treatment to stay alive. Although we are seeing improvements in all three, the prognosis of one patient is still very much guarded. Here is the latest on these sea turtle patients:

18th Green
This juvenile green sea turtle has been suffering from a debilitating intestinal impaction. Treatment included subcutaneous fluids 2X/day to combat dehydration, vitamin and antibiotic injections, tube feeding of mineral oil concoctions, enemas, and almost daily radiographs to be sure the impaction was moving through the intestinal tract. Just last week, the animal finally defecated a few times and it was almost no surprise that several pieces of plastics were in the fecal matter. These vegetarian green sea turtles often eat plastics that collect in seagrass beds in which they feed. This should be an important reminder to keep trash out of our natural environment! Below are photos of an x-ray (one of 40!) and 18th Green floating from gas build-up in the intestines as well as video taken today of her finally swimming around her tank. She still a little bouyant but much less than before.

May
This little Kemp's ridley is one lucky turtle! Not many small turtles survive boat strikes but after 2 months of rigorous treatment, this little turtle is finally eating on his own and is no longer positively buoyant. We are regularly treating the open wounds and giving antibiotics to keep infection away. It may take this little turtle a while to get over this one! The photos below are of May just after surgery to wire portions of the shell together and the most recent underwater shot of May resting on the bottom of the hospital tank, refreshing to see after several weeks of floating at the surface.

Palmer
Palmer is the newest stranding in the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital arriving on June 16th. The 90-pound loggerhead is severely debilitated and after 3 weeks of treatment, the prognosis is still guarded. With a white blood cell count of 28, this animal is on a double regimen of antibiotics as well as vitamins and minerals to combat severely low blood chemistries and counts. Palmer has just started eating and was transferred out of the triage tank and into a filtered tank - certainly a move in the right direction. Below is a photo of Palmer in the new tank. S/he is positively buoyant and we are hoping this issue will resolve as the turtle's health improves. This isn't a pretty photo but it is what we are dealing with right now. The second photo is Palmer getting subcutaneous fluids from Kristen and Mary.

Keep track of the progress on all 8 patients at the Sea Turtle Hospital's webpage or come visit the patients in person at the Aquarium! Details of tour times and days are listed on the website. Thanks to all for your support of this program. The old proverb about raising a child is also true about saving sea turtles… “It takes a village.”

Kelly

Kemp's ridley survives boat strike

2010-06-09T06:16:00.014-04:00

For the third Saturday night in a row, the call came in from the SC Department of Natural Resources that a live sea turtle had been found. A young Kemp's ridley with a boat strike was pulled from the May River in Bluffton, SC on June 6th. It was almost 11:30pm when DNR arrived with the injured turtle where the Sea Turtle Hospital Team was ready for action.

Blood was taken to get hematocrit and protein levels which would tell us how much blood the animal had lost. Although the numbers were somewhat low, we could tell that the turtle had not lost a tremendous amount. The fracture is right over the lung and each time the animal took a breath, the tissue moved up and down. Although this a traumatic injury, it didn't appear as though lung tissue had actually been penetrated. The wound received copious amounts of flushing with saline and fluids were also given subcutaneously (pictured below with intern Liz Mills administering fluids).

An antibiotic injection was given to prevent infection. The cleaned wound was then packed with silver sulfadiazine, an ointment containing antibacterial and antifungal agents. A wrap was placed over the wound and the turtle placed in shallow salt water.

Thanks to all involved in the rescue of this turtle! You can get more information about this turtle on the main hospital page.
Kelly T

Sea turtle stranding update and "Gala"

2010-06-07T12:33:00.010-04:00

The South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Rescue Program admits sick and injured sea turtles in need of rehabilitation with the goal of releasing them back into the ocean once deemed healthy. Since the program's inception, 51 sea turtles have been treated and released - a great number indeed!

The darker side of this story is that although we are making a big difference in the lives of sea turtles that overcome horrible injuries and illnesses, many more wash up on our beaches dead or are too sick to save. The numbers are grim: according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, over the last 10 years, the average number of sea turtle standings on South Carolina beaches each year is 133. Already this year, 53 sea turtles have stranded. Of these, roughly 10% are alive and transported to the Sea Turtle Hospital. But even with the tireless efforts of the Aquarium’s turtle rescue staff, not all of them survive.

We experienced this with a recent patient. After 10 days of intensive medical treatment for severe anemia, hypoglycemia, internal parasitic and bacterial infections and much more, the debilitated loggerhead "Gala" that was rescued from Surfside Beach, passed. It is truly amazing that this turtle survived as long as s/he did but this certainly doesn't make the death any easier. A huge thank you goes out to all folks involved in the rescue and treatment of this animal as well as the support for our team.

With sea turtle season in full swing, I urge you all to remember and remind your friends to step lightly in the natural habitat of sea turtles:

Leave the beaches dark, clean and free of holes for the nesting loggerheads and the thousands of hatchlings that will start emerging from their nests in July.
Boat strikes are really taking a toll on all four species that occur off our coast – loggerheads, Kemp’s ridleys, greens and leatherbacks. If you are boating, please remember that sea turtles are in the waters all around you, inshore and offshore.
REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE! The amount of trash that ends up in our waterways and ocean is horrifying and really brings to light the disposable culture in which we live. We all need to go the extra mile to create less trash in our daily lives. You can find some great ideas at http://www.reusablebags.com/store/.
Do not disturb nesting sea turtles or emerging hatchlings and if you find a sick or injured sea turtle (or hook one on your fishing line), call the SCDNR hotline at 1-800-922-5431.
Support our efforts to save sick and injured sea turtles by becoming a stranded turtle adoptive parent, donating on line or visiting the Sea Turtle Hospital in person. More information can be found at http://www.scaquarium.org/.

Thank you for caring about sea turtles!
Kelly Thorvalson

Newest sea turtle patients, "18th Green" and "Gala"

2010-05-25T08:55:00.016-04:00

Let me introduce two new patients that have been keeping us very busy in the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital.

"18th Green," pictured just below, is a juvenile green sea turtle that washed up on the beach April 26th in front of the Ocean Course 18th green on Kiawah Island. "18th Green" weighs 8 1/2 kg (almost 20 pounds) and was covered with algae, barnacles and skeleton shrimp upon arrival. Although "18th Green" was alert and fairly active, s/he was very dehydrated. After giving initial treatments, the turtle was placed in a shallow tank of fresh water to help with hydration and kill the external marine growth. "18th Green" is floating with a buoyant posterior (rear) end and is suffering from intestinal impaction.

"Gala," pictured below, is the newest loggerhead patient from Surfside Beach, SC that had a very timely arrival. The South Carolina Aquarium's Environmental Stewardship Awards Gala, a wonderful black tie event, was held Saturday night and awards were given to individuals that are making significant contributions to environmental preservation. Well, wouldn't you know it - a sea turtle stranding arrived about 7am, just as the reception was getting under way. Duty calls, so I skipped the reception and part of dinner to help admit the incredibly ill loggerhead.

In addition to leeches around the mouth and nares (can see in close profile photo), this emaciated, severely anemic loggerhead is covered in barnacles and algae indicating that the turtle has been lethargic in the ocean for quite some time.

Both "18th Green" and "Gala" are still not 'out of the woods' and we are giving medical treatments every morning and afternoon to give them the best chance of survival. You can find out about more about their specific illnesses, treatments and progress, as well as see additional photographs on the main hospital page.

A huge thank you goes out to all the folks that helped to rescue these animals on the beach, Jeff McClary for driving "Gala" part of the way to Charleston, Charlotte Hope and Kelly Sloan from SCDNR who transported the turtles to the hospital and to all of the hospital staff, volunteers and interns that work together to make the magic happen here. It takes an army!

Kelly T

"Pirate" makes great progress feeding on his own

2010-05-11T16:10:00.005-04:00

Two months ago, "Pirate" was just beginning to open his mouth a few centimeters and starting to feed on his own after being tube fed for 7 months. In fact, the video blog post on March 15th shows "Pirate" taking 2 minutes to eat just 1 small piece of fish. In the newest video below, "Pirate" is able to consume almost a pound of cut fish in 2 minutes!

Once "Pirate" started showing good progress with eating fish, we decided to try live blue crabs, a natural prey item for loggerheads in the wild and an important form of enrichment for the patients in our hospital. In the next video, you can see that "Pirate" wastes no time going after the crab but it takes several attempts to actually get the whole crab into his mouth. Regardless, the end result is that the crab gets consumed.

Range of motion in "Pirate's" jaw is still only a fraction of what it should be but we are on the road to recovery!

Kelly T

7 sea turtles being released!

2010-04-28T21:14:00.003-04:00

In just three days, 3 loggerhead sea turtles and 4 green sea turtles will be released back into the ocean! This will be the largest release in the program’s history and will take us to over 50 sea turtles that have been rehabilitated and released by the South Carolina Aquarium. The release will take place on the first official day of nesting season in South Carolina, Saturday, May 1st and begin at 3:30pm at the Isle of Palms County Park. The IOP County Park opens at 10am. Space for parking is limited and parking fees apply. Carpooling is strongly advised and be sure to give yourself plenty of time to get through heavy traffic.

You can visit the Beasley, Ocracoke, Scute, Dare, Cluse, Frisco and Mingo in the hospital before the release by taking one of the tours on Friday or Saturday. More information on tours and the turtles can be found on the website and reservations can be made at 843-577-FISH (3474) or toll free at (800) 722-6455.

We hope that you will be able to join us!
Kelly

1st live SC stranding admitted into Sea Turtle Hospital

2010-04-19T09:45:00.023-04:00

Juvenile Kemp's ridleys are famous for taking bait of recreational hook and line fishermen and swallowing the hooks. These hooks can be detrimental to the lives of these animals and we encourage fishermen to turn the turtle over to SCDNR if they are unable to remove the hook safely.

This is just the case with the first live stranding in South Carolina. A 5-pound Kemp's ridley was caught in the surf on Hilton Head, SC and was transported by SCDNR officials Sunday night. The small turtle named "Surfer" is somewhat lethargic and thin. These signs in addition to skin lesions across the neck and shoulders indicate the turtle may have been suffering from an infection prior to getting hooked.

Radiographs were performed Monday morning to see the type and depth of the hook in the esophagus and hook removal surgery soon followed with the turtle under full anesthesia. Surgery took approximately 50 minutes with Dr. Boylan at the helm. Hospital staff had to breathe for the animal for hours as he recovered from surgery and eventually Dr. Boylan took the turtle home with him to continue that breathing. Prognosis is guarded. Much more detail of the surgery and treatment can be found on the "Surfer's" individual case log on the Sea Turtle Hospital page.

Thanks all involved in the rescue of this endangered Kemp's ridley. We are doing everything possible to aid in it's recovery!

Kelly T

"Mama Pritchard" goes home!

2010-04-18T22:09:00.023-04:00

Weighing 368 pounds at release, Mama Pritchard is the largest sea turtle ever to be released by the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Rescue Program. The first major task was to get her out of her hospital tank! This was done with a team of 7 Aquarium staff members.

People came from all over South Carolina to see her one last time as she lumbered down the beach at the Isle of Palms towards the ocean. Rebecca Padget and Anne Furlong were both interns on Pritchard's Island during the summer of 2008 and were responsible for Mama Pritchard's initial rescue on the beach. They both drove into town (one all the way from Virginia) to see the release and are pictured here with Mama Pritchard, Dr. Boylan and me.

With help from a large crew on the beach, Mama Pritchard finally made it to the ocean. Below are two short video clips of the release. Without a doubt, it was an amazing sight to see.

I would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone involved in the rescue, rehabilitation and ultimate release of this turtle. This includes our stranded turtle adoptive parents and all the folks who visited her over the 21 months in our Sea Turtle Hospital. You all make it possible for us to do what we do!

Kelly T

"Mama Pritchard" is getting released!

2010-04-10T12:46:00.016-04:00

We are excited to announce the first sea turtle release of 2010! Our 330-pound adult female loggerhead, "Mama Pritchard" is being released on Saturday, April 17 at the Isle of Palms County Park at 4:30pm.

Over the last several weeks, "Mama Pritchard" has become somewhat agitated in her tank. Because of the time of year, this immediately alerted staff that she may be getting ready for a reproductive season. Bloodwork was analyzed and the extremely high levels of blood protein and calcium levels are perfectly in line with a reproductively active female sea turtle. Recent ultrasound confirmed that she is in fact, producing egg follicle (yolks) in preparation for the upcoming nesting season. In South Carolina, the loggerhead nesting season officially begins May 15th. It is critical to release her so she does not miss her mating window which takes place a short time before nesting begins. Successful mating will allow her to fertilize the follicles which will hopefully lead to a productive nesting season and have a positive impact on the local loggerhead population.

Photo above is Mama Pritchard just after being admitted into the hospital.

Photos above are wounds at time of arrival and 8 months into rehab.

You can get a last up-close look at "Mama Pritchard" before her release as well as visit the additional 12 sea turtle patients by taking a behind-the-scenes tour of the Sea Turtle Hospital. Tours are scheduled on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 11:30am and 1pm. To make a reservation call 843-577-FISH (3474) or toll free at 800-722-6455.

We hope to see you on the beach!
Kelly

This blog has moved

2010-04-09T10:44:00.001-04:00

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After 7 months, "Pirate" starts to eat on his own!

2010-03-15T14:00:00.021-04:00

When "Pirate" was admitted into the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital in August 2009, he was comatose and suffering from lockjaw. Months of treatment have included tube feeding a super-gruel 3 times a week (a blue green algae, vitamin and raw fish smoothie as seen in the photo below), doing physical therapy on the jaw muscles, as well as administering antibiotics and muscle relaxers for the first couple of months.

"Pirate" is now able to open his mouth about 2-3 cm - just enough to fit a small piece of fish. It seems like it takes an eternity to actually get the food down (and at first it did) but the more he eats, the better he gets at it. We are now up to feeding about 5 small pieces of fish, twice daily. Just look at the determination in Pirate's eyes in this video!

We still have a long way to go before this animal will be considered releasable but this improvement is exciting! Keep checking back to Pirate's medical case log to get updates or better yet, come visit Pirate and the other 12 sea turtle patients in person. Many of them will be getting released in the spring. The new albino alligator exhibit opens this weekend so this is the perfect time to plan a trip to the South Carolina Aquarium!

Kelly

Ongoing treatment for "Myrtle" the Kemp's ridley

2010-02-24T13:52:00.014-05:00

Over the last few months, "Myrtle" has lost her spunky attitude and appetite. The floating disorder has changed slightly in that she is more buoyant on her left side than her right. To quantify the changes in her lungs, "Myrtle" was taken back to the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) to have an MRI. The imaging research team at MUSC are an amazing group of folks and we cannot thank them enough for working with us on ailing "Myrtle," on a Friday evening after hours no less!

A new therapy that has been initiated is diving with "Myrtle" in a 14' exhibit tank with a weight belt. Weight therapy has been used in hospital holding tanks but the tanks are fairly shallow. Staff wanted to see what "Myrtle" would do in deeper water with the extra weight. A video of the first day of this therapy is below. Although not actively swimming, it is nice to see the turtle lingering under water for a longer period of time. This therapy will occur ~2 times per week thanks to Sallie Miller and her Carolina Seas dive assistants. Hopefully something positive will come from it!

Good luck "Myrtle"!!

Kelly

Loggerheads "Beasley" and "Ocracoke" lucky to be alive

2010-02-13T11:30:00.020-05:00

The South Carolina Aquarium admitted 2 new patients on February 11th that were part of the most recent cold stunning event off the NC coast. The two loggerheads named "Beasley," after the Karen Beasley Rescue and Rehabilitation Center that took in the turtles when they first stranded, and "Ocracoke," the NC island where the turtles were found, had internal body temperatures of 51 degrees Fahrenheit when they stranded. These animals are lucky to survive the severe 3-day cold-stunning event that killed ~75% of the 109 sea turtles involved. Kelly Sloan of SCDNR transported the animals from NC to the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital where they will receive treatment until medically cleared for release.

Click on photographs to enlarge.

Sea Turtle Hospital staff set up a new holding pool with life support to help out with the large numbers of strandings and several temporary tanks are being used to increase holding capacity. As always, we will do all we can to help in these terrible events.

Find out more about "Beasely" and "Ocracoke" on the Sea Turtle Hospital webpage or come visit them in person by taking a Sea Turtle Hospital behind-the-scenes tour - we'd love to see you!

Kelly

Two SC classes raise $3,500 for the Sea Turtle Rescue Program!

2010-02-12T08:39:00.006-05:00

The Gilbert Middle School ProTeam Class of 20 seventh graders raised $1500 for the sick and injured sea turtles in our hospital! Yea ProTeam! Below is a photo of their visit to the Aquarium and Sea Turtle Hospital taken on the Riverside Terrace. It was a beautiful January day and the kids were too excited to start their day by watching dolphins swimming and playing in the Charleston Harbor. Thanks to Daphne DuBose and the entire ProTeam class for these efforts!

With Erin Ruth at the helm, 21 kids from Cheraw Intermediate raised $2,000 for the Sea Turtle Rescue Program! Each student was able to become a stranded turtle adoptive parent as well as get a tour of the Aquarium and Hospital. The class visited on February 2nd to deliver the check (photo below) and meet the sea turtle patients they adopted. Awesome job Cheraw students!

We are so very appreciative of the hard work that goes into raising funds for the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital. These teachers are not only teaching their students about the importance of sea turtle and ocean conservation, but are also instilling a spirit of giving and supporting local, non-profit organizations. Thank you classes at Gilbert Middle and Cheraw Intermediate, for helping us continue to provide the best possible care to the sick and injured sea turtles that come to our hospital. You are making a difference!

Photos are courtesy of Sharpshooter Images.

Kelly

Sea turtle rescue and interior design join forces this weekend!

2010-01-26T11:11:00.008-05:00

Come out to the Charleston Home + Design Show this weekend to see thousands of the newest custom home products and support the Sea Turtle Rescue Program at the same time!

The Charleston Home + Design Show has chosen 6 Lowcountry authors to work with local interior designers to give you a glimpse into their world. Each author has chosen a cause to receive a $500 donation for participating. Amy Floyd of Island Daze Designs is designing a room for New York Times bestselling author, conservation novelist and sea turtle conservationist, Mary Alice Monroe. Mary Alice has chosen to support the Sea Turtle Rescue Program!

This is where YOU can help:
Visitors to the show are asked to vote for their favorite room and the cause associated with the room that gets the most votes will receive all proceeds from the silent auction held over the entire weekend. Visit the links below to get more information, including show hours and admission fees. Admission on Friday is FREE from 11am-6pm!

So come on out to an amazing home show this weekend and vote for the Mary Alice Monroe inspired room to support the Sea Turtle Rescue Program…you’ll have a great time!

Charleston Home + Design: http://www.charlestonhomeanddesignshow.com/
Mary Alice Monroe: http://maryalicemonroe.blogspot.com/

Kelly Thorvalson

Cold front leaves many sea turtles in poor health

2010-01-02T16:26:00.004-05:00

A major cold front that drops coastal water temperatures is big trouble for sea turtles that have yet to migrate to warmer waters. Their cold-blooded bodies can't take the temperature drop and they become lethargic and immunosupressed. The lucky ones to survive a cold-stunning event can suffer from hypothermia, pneumonia, skin and shell lesions and secondary infections.

Last year it happened during Thanksgiving week and this year, the call came at Christmas. Sea turtles stranding on North Carolina beaches daily and the folks from the NC Wildlife Resources Commission scrambling to get them all placed. The Karen Beasley Rescue and Rehabilitation Center is so full that they had turtles in the bathrooms. The three NC aquariums all do their part. Yet more turtles keep coming.

On December 28, as DuBose Griffin from the SC Department of Natural Resources drove to the NC border to take 9 sea turtles off the hands of Wendy Cluse, Sea Turtle Rescue staff at the South Carolina Aquarium scrambled to make some room in the already full hospital. Upon arrival, the turtles received subcutaneous fluids, eye ointment and a thin coat of petroleum jelly to help with hydration. 3 of the 9 were placed in shallow pools that will be their home for their rehabilitation and the other 6 spent the night in their transport bins to continue their journey the next morning to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.

Learn more about the 3 newest patients, Cluse, Dare and Frisco, by going to the hospital page and clicking on each individual case. These will be periodically updated. There is also a great article from the Post and Courier at http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/dec/29/eagle-sick-turtles-er-drama-all-in-days-work/ and video from ABC News 4 at http://cfc.wciv.com/videoondemand.cfm?id=55733&cat=news. Be sure to check them out!

Thank you to all involved in rescuing all of the sea turtles involved in this cold-stunning event and I wish all the facilities treating these ill animals the best. Most of all, I want to thank you, the public, for your commitment to us, as we cannot do what this work without your help. There are many wonderful ways to support - book a hospital tour to visit the patients, become a stranded turtle adoptive parent, send a tax deductible donation, spread the word about the work we are doing and forward this blog link to your friends!

Hope you all have a blessed new year!

Kelly

Sea Turtle Hospital's newest patient is not a turtle at all!

2009-12-19T10:59:00.010-05:00

An immature Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) was found by several of the South Carolina Aquarium's animal care staff on their way back from lunch at Santi's, a local Mexican restaurant. The pelican didn't fly away when approached which alerted staff that the bird was probably ill. The staff, versed in handling injured wild birds, transported the pelican to the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital to be examined by Dr. Boylan, the Aquarium's staff veterinarian.

Upon arrival at the hospital, the pelican, affectionately named Santi, received fluids, antibiotics and was tempted with fish. Santi appeared quite hungry but after taking the fish into its pouch, it was clear that there was a problem. It seems that a blockage in the guttural pouch won't allow food to pass. An open wound in the neck (visible in the photograph) is suspected to be the root cause of the problem.

Birds need to eat frequently and Santi looked thin, so it was vitally important to get some nutrition in the animal. After retrieving the uneaten fish from the back of the mouth, Santi was tube fed a healthy gruel. On subsequent days, hospital staff has found that fish cut up into very small pieces will pass down the esophagus. Although it takes about 30 minutes for just a handful of fish to be swallowed, this is much less stressful on the bird than tube feeding several times a day. The video shows Santi being fed and trying to get the fish down by consistently opening his/her beak and moving the head up and down.

As soon as Dr. Boylan feels the animal is stable, radiographs and an endoscopic examination will be performed and surgery will take place if necessary.

You can visit Santi and all of the other sea turtle patients by visiting the hospital. Behind-the-scenes tours give you a rare chance to get close to these amazing animals. Tour information is just below or call 843-577-FISH for more information.

Hope to see you soon!
Kelly

Visit the Sea Turtle Hospital for a close encounter!

2009-12-03T07:42:00.010-05:00

Sea Turtle Hospital behind-the-scenes tours have expanded to better accommodate your busy holiday schedule! Get a special, close encounter with 8 threatened and endangered sea turtles of 3 different species - one of which is over 330 pounds! The Sea Turtle Hospital has been called a "hidden gem" in Charleston by local patrons.

Tour days and times are Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 11am AND 1pm. There is a small fee for the tour in addition to Aquarium admission - I assure you that it is well worth it!

You can also give a tour of the South Carolina Aquarium and the Sea Turtle Hospital tour as a gift. Go to http://scaquarium.org/holiday/gifts.html to learn about this gift and many more!

Happy Holidays!
Kelly Thorvalson

Sea turtles travel in style

2009-11-12T13:24:00.003-05:00

Three sea turtles were recently transported from the University of New England Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center (MARC) to the South Carolina Aquarium; but it was no ordinary transport. Ronnie Santos, a local pilot and member of the East Cooper Pilot's Association, offered the sea turtles a ride in his private plane, a Piper Twin Comanche.

On Wednesday, November 5, 2009, Ronnie flew the 95-pound loggerhead and 2 small Kemp's ridley sea turtles from Biddeford, Maine to the Mount Pleasant Regional Airport in Charleston, SC. Although the transport containers barely fit into the aircraft, this unusual "Angel Flight" was successful in cutting many hours off of what would have been a 18-20 hour drive. The purpose of the transfer was to make room for more patients at MARC during the upcoming cold-stunning season. The cost of the transport was absorbed by Mr. Santos and other members of the East Cooper Pilot's Association.

History: The turtles being transferred were part of a cold stunning event on the coast of New England in November of 2008. Sea turtles are cold blooded and are unable to regulate their body temperatures. When coastal water temperatures drop quickly, sea turtles in the area become stunned and are unable to migrate to warmer waters.

The loggerhead, affectionately called "Santos," will finish rehabilitation at the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital and the 2 Kemp's ridleys were transferred to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island.

This was an amazing event and really showcases the joint efforts of organizations working together to support sea turtle conservation. I would like to send a sincere thank you to Mr. Ron Santos and the East Cooper Pilot's Association, the University of New England Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center and the SC Department of Natural Resources for their leadership in sea turtle conservation in SC.

Kelly Thorvalson

Little Pawley - the final hours

2009-10-16T09:59:00.013-04:00

I posted about Pawley's death on the medical case log but did not post a new blog - I apologize for that. Many of you are still asking. Below are the words of our Veterinarian, Dr. Shane Boylan, when we lost Little Pawley. Details of the days leading up to the death are posted on the medical case log. This log has been moved to the released section because I was unsure where else to put it. This little turtle had a tremendous impact in the few weeks during his rescue and rehabilitation. We are all saddened by his death.

Kelly Thorvalson
10/16/09 Pawley suddenly, but not unexpectedly, “died” in his tank this morning. After a long 10-15 minutes of CPR, we were able to resuscitate him to biting and minor flipper movement. It wasn’t a full recovery, but it was significant. I decided to conduct a coelomotomy surgery to attempt to remove the impaction. Intestinal inflammation was severe but we were unable to locate and remove the impaction. After surgery and some recovery time at the Aquarium, I brought the turtle home with me until his heart finally passed at 6:30 PM.

10/17/09 Necropsy answered our questions. Among other finds, the inflammation in the gut was the most severe I have seen in a living reptile. The complete intestinal obstruction was inaccessible by surgery and showed evidence of being weeks old. The short story is that 50% of the small intestine was damaged beyond repair. The little guy never had a chance.

Big thank you to everyone involved (SCUTE), especially the surgery crew who hung with me for 3 hours on Tuesday afternoon and DNR for putting up with my long necropsy last Wednesday.

Dr. Shane Boylan

Little Pawley underwater video!

2009-09-29T15:27:00.005-04:00

Many of you are awaiting news on Pawley's progress so I thought video may be the best way to show you just how well he/she is doing!

This is actually an underwater video taken today just after feeding (note the small fish particulate in the water) and Pawley is still looking around the tank for food. The turtle was extremely bouyant when he/she first arrived and over several days we were able to extract air from the body cavity, helping the turtle float a little less. At this point in time, the nature of the floating indicates that the rest of the air is intestinal. With a healthy diet and a little metamucil, we hope that these bouyancy issues will soon be resolved.

Overall, Pawley is doing very well. Thanks to all of you for checking back with us on the blog. Even better would be to visit in person...take a drive to the South Carolina Aquarium to visit Pawley and all of his turtle friends in the Sea Turtle Hospital! Tour information can be found on the main hospital webpage.

Kelly

Endangered sea turtle rescued by 9-year old in Pawley's Island

2009-09-23T10:06:00.027-04:00

A call came in to the head of the SCUTE turtle team, Jeff McClary, on Sunday morning. A very small, live sea turtle was found washed up on Pawley’s Island but someone put it back into the water thinking that was the right thing to do. Knowing that if the turtle stranded on the beach it was sick or injured and once back in the water it may never be seen again, Jeff put out an all points bulletin to the SCUTE coordinators. The Schneider’s {Pawley’s and S. Litchfield} and Betsy Brabson {DeBordieu} sent out an email to the other Turtle Enthusiasts. In the late afternoon, the Graysons spotted something bobbing in the surf and Wilson Grayson, 9 years old, waded into the water to check it out. What he found was a very sick juvenile green sea turtle in need of medical attention. Jeff was notified, collected the turtle and headed South as Kelly Sloan of the SC Department of Natural Resources headed North to make the transfer in McClellanville. It was only a matter of time that the little green named Pawley after it’s stranding location, was admitted into the South Carolina Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital.

Here is Dr. Boylan’s description of the turtle on the night of its arrival:
The animal is mildly anemic, moderately hypoglycemic, severely hypoproteinemic, and severely bradycardic (very low heart rate). We tapped about 180 cc of gas from the coelom (body cavity). Radiographs were clear of any fishing hooks or detectable foreign bodies. The animal reacted with pain responses to injections which correlates with a presumptive diagnosis of gas productive coelomic sepsis. An old puncture wound was found at the marginal scutes. The nearby inframarginal scutes showed some signs of internal pathology by palpation and examination. This is the likely source of the infection (puncture wound). Antibiotics, vitamins, x-rays, fluids with dextrose, ultrasounds, and in house bloodwork were conducted tonight. The prognosis is guarded given sepsis is very likely and acute in onset. The body condition and hydration status were relatively normal.

With each passing day, the chances of survival for little Pawley are better. It is now 4 days into treatment and Pawley is active and even ate a little fish on Wednesday and Thursday. In addition to continuing supportive care including fluids, vitamins and antibiotics, hospital staff is regularly bleeding coelomic air that is being produced by the internal bacterial infection. Be sure to check back to the hospital page to get regular updates on Pawley as well as the other patients in our care!

Thank you to everyone involved with this animal’s rescue, especially to Wilson Grayson and his family. Green sea turtles are listed as federally endangered under the Endangered Species Act and need our help. And remember, if you find a sick or injured sea turtle, contact the local police department or call the SC Department of Natural Resources hotline at 1-800-922-5431.

Kelly

New patient admitted into Sea Turtle Hospital

2009-08-26T09:24:00.009-04:00

A call came in on Monday, August 24th from Arturo with the SC Department of Natural Resources - he was on his way to pick up a stranded turtle from North Myrtle Beach, SC. The estimated time of arrival was 7pm. It would be another late night at the Aquarium...

The turtle that stranded was an 80-pound loggerhead (still a juvenile) whose shell was covered in barnacles and hundreds of tube worms whose homes made of mud, were caked inches thick on the shell. Unlike most debilitated sea turtles that arrive at our facility, this one was actually moving around quite a bit. In addition to checking overall body condition and respirations, blood was taken for an in-house snapshot of the animal's health and to ship off for complete blood counts and chemistries. That in house blood analysis told us that "Scute", the new loggerhead, is very anemic and has a very low blood protein. The good news is that it actually has a decent blood glucose level which is why the turtle was more active than most in this state.

You can see the degree of emaciation by the outline of bones and tendons in the neck area. The "sore" on top of the skull is from a rope that was entangled around the turtle's neck when it was found in the surf. This entanglement may be the root cause of the turtles poor condition. Supportive care was given to include fluid therapy with Vitamin B, an iron injection to combat anemia, IV hetastarch fluids to help the protein levels in the blood, and of course, antibiotic injections. Since it was 10:30pm when we finished treatment and we could not monitor the turtle overnight, Dr. Boylan and I decided to leave her in a very shallow pool of freshwater. This would allow her to breathe without having to swim to the surface.

Although Scute is extremely sick, we are hopeful that she will improve with continued supportive care. Keep up with Scute's progress (as well as the other patients in the Sea Turtle Hospital) on the main hospital webpage.

Thank you to all involved in the rescue of Scute and for Arturo from SCDNR for the long hours on the road to get her safely to our hospital. It takes all of us to save the lives of these animals!

P.S. For those of you who aren't aware of our naming system, we name the patients after where they strand whether it is a beach or waterway. Currently we are treating a Myrtle and a North Myrtle. To avoid giving the same names to turtles, we look for other names that have something to do with the area in which the turtle strands. SCUTE stands for South Carolina United Turtle Enthusiasts and is comprised of sea turtle volunteers from Georgetown to North Myrtle Beach. This stranding got the name Scute so we wouldn't have to name it North Myrtle Jr as well as to honor all of the SCUTE volunteers that support sea turtle conservation and the Sea Turtle Rescue Program.

Kelly

"Carolina's Story" inspires 4-year old Ava to help sea turtles

2009-08-10T16:41:00.025-04:00

I recently received a wonderful letter in the mail and was so moved by it, I had to post for everyone. Click on the letter below to meet 4-year old Ava from California:

Carolina's Story, the children's book written about in the letter, is a wonderful story about a sick loggerhead sea turtle named Carolina that received medical care and TLC right here in the South Carolina Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital. This book has made it to thousands of classrooms and homes and inspired many, including Ava all the way from California! On behalf of the South Carolina Aquarium and the Sea Turtle Rescue Program, I would like to thank Ava for the great job on the educational posters and the successful garage sale. I feel sure that you will get to help a leatherback hatchling to the ocean one day!

And to all the other children that donate the the Sea Turtle Rescue Program through birthdays, bake sales, lemonade stands or by doing extra chores, I will try to get your stories up as they come in. You all are TRULY INSPIRING!

To find out more about Carolina's Story go to http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com/Carolina.php.

Kelly

3 rescued sea turtles return to the ocean!

2009-07-28T13:20:00.010-04:00

We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day to release 3 rehabilitated sea turtles! A crowd of 800 to 1000 people gathered on Kiawah Island Sunday to witness these majestic animals crawl into the warm, salty waters that is their home.

One of the most exciting stories of the day was that 7-year old Ethan Harrison and his mother Shelley, of Caledonia, Ontario in Canada, traveled down to be a part of it. After raising almost $2500 over 3 years for the sick and injured sea turtles in the Sea Turtle Rescue Program, Ethan gave his favorite healed patient, Wadmalaw, one final helping hand - he carried him home. It was somewhat emotional for all of us but particularly for the Harrisons.

Thank you to all involved in the rescue, rehabilitation and release of these sea turtles, including Ethan. There are too many others to name here but we could not do what we do without ALL OF YOU!

I would like to send a special thank you to Kiawah's ResortQuest for the wonderful villa that was given to the Harrisons during their trip to Charleston and to the employees of ResortQuest for raising money for Ethan and donating to the Sea Turtle Rescue Program in Ethan's name. This was a REALLY nice touch to a special weekend.

Kelly Thorvalson

One Boy, One Turtle, a World of Difference

2009-07-17T10:03:00.009-04:00

One extremely passionate seven-year-old boy, one very sick sea turtle, four garage sales, three craft shows, 500 homemade turtle chocolates and numerous 10-cent bottle refunds add up to a winning combination for patients in the South Carolina Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Rescue Program. Ethan, inspired by a behind-the-scenes tour of the South Carolina Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital, has worked diligently for over two years raising funds to support the hospital patients. To his honor, on July 26, 2009, Ethan will join Aquarium staff in releasing Wadmalaw, the Kemp’s ridley whose story first inspired him to educate others about the plight of sea turtles and work towards raising money for their treatment. Two other rehabilitated sea turtles, Kiawah and Winyah, will also be released on Sunday, July 26 at 3 p.m. at Beachwalker County Park located on the west end of Kiawah Island, S.C. (Parking is limited and Beachwalker County Park parking fees will apply).

Meet Ethan

Ethan, a resident of Caledonia, Ontario in Canada first came to the Aquarium when he was five years old to deliver $214 he had raised for patients in the Sea Turtle Hospital. On his initial visit, Ethan met Wadmalaw, a critically ill patient. Inspired by his encounter, at home, he continued to educate others and raise money to aid in the medical care of these threatened and endangered species. His passion to-date has added up to enough money to feed eight sea turtle patients for an entire year or to cover a year’s worth of medication and procedures for a patient in the Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital.

On July 26, Ethan plans to present a $1,000 donation to the Aquarium during the beach release on Kiawah Island. With the July 26 planned gift, Ethan’s donations total $2,274. He continues to raise money for the hospital through his own fundraising ideas and has most recently “asked for turtle donations in lieu of gifts from his friends for his birthday” said his mother Shelley Harrison. In school in his hometown of Caledonia, Ontario in Canada, Ethan uses show-and-tell to educate his peers about sea turtles asking them to stop using plastic bags “because sea turtles eat them thinking they are jellyfish” he said. He purchased a reusable bag for each child in his class and asked them to use the reusable bag instead.

In June, Ethan won his school’s 'Principal's Award for Student Leadership' due to his conservation efforts for sea turtles and the environment. He was also nominated for both a ‘Junior Citizen’ award and for an 'Amazing Kid' contest on a local radio station.

About Wadmalaw (Kemp’s ridley sea turtle)

Wadmalaw was admitted into the South Carolina Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital on July 11, 2007 after being caught by a fisherman on hook and line on Wadmalaw Island, S.C. The hook was lodged deep in the turtle’s mouth and the fisherman was unable to remove it. On the day of Wadmalaw’s arrival, under full anesthesia, surgery was performed and the hook was successfully removed. There were also additional complications with this patient. Wadmalaw was floating, not interested in food and was very lethargic. Through subsequent radiographs, hospital staff learned that the Wadmalaw had a bone degenerating infection that had invaded several joints causing swelling and loss of flipper movement. Through subsequent radiographs, hospital staff learned that the Wadmalaw had a bone degenerating infection that had invaded several joints causing swelling and loss of flipper movement. With an unknown future and poor prognosis, staff held out hope and proceeded with treatment for the small turtle which included antibiotic and antifungal injections, vitamin injections and tube feeding. Physical therapy was initiated to keep its flippers from becoming atrophied. In late September, Wadmalaw started to show interest in food and in January 2008 began getting movement back in some of the flippers. By May 2008 after undergoing five sets of radiographs, a CT scan and multiple medications, Wadmalaw started showing signs of great improvement. Sea Turtle Rescue Program Coordinator, Kelly Thorvalson wrote on her blog, “time is this animal's friend,” and so it was, as now it is healed and ready for release.

About Winyah (Kemp’s ridley sea turtle)

On September 22, 2008 Winyah was found comatose after getting entangled and trapped underwater in a channel net used to catch shrimp in the Winyah Bay in Georgetown, S.C. Upon arrival at the Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital, staff kept the animal at an angle to drain the fluid from the lungs. An antibiotic regimen was initiated to prevent pneumonia, which would have been likely without treatment. Due to the large amount of fluids, it was evident that while caught in the net the turtle was unable to come to the surface to breathe. Healthy, Winyah is now ready for release.

About Kiawah (loggerhead sea turtle)

Found washed up on Kiawah Island, the juvenile debilitated loggerhead was admitted into the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital on March 28, 2009. The turtle was hypoglycemic, moderately emaciated, dehydrated and covered in small barnacles, algae and skeleton shrimp indicating it had been lethargic for a long time. Fluid therapy, antibiotics, and dextrose were immediately administered. Supportive therapy continued and Kiawah began showing signs of improvement. By May 2009 the turtle was eating well and very active. Having added necessary weight and the bloodwork analyzed, Kiawah is ready for release.

The public is invited to come and join the Aquarium Sunday afternoon July 26 at 3 p.m. at Beachwalker County Park located on the west end of Kiawah Island, S.C. for the sea turtles Wadmalaw, Winyah and Kiawah’s beach release. Additionally, Wednesday, July 22 through Saturday, July 25 the Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital will be offering additional behind-the-scenes tours at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.

For advance bookings for the Sea Turtle Hospital tour, please call the Aquarium at (843) 577-FISH (3474).

New patients admitted and Little Debbie update

2009-06-17T16:02:00.008-04:00

"Mingo"

On Thursday, June 11th, a 12-pound green sea turtle was admitted into the Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital. Green sea turtles are listed as endangered on the Endangered Species Act and are more rarely seen in SC than the loggerhead or even the Kemp’s ridley which is considered to be one of the most rare sea turtles in the world. The animal was found floating just off of Mingo Point on Kiawah Island and rescued by Kiawah Nature Center staff. The lethargic turtle was moderately emaciated and very dehydrated. Radiographs taken the next day found intestinal air to be the cause of the floating. Extremely dilated intestinal loops give the impression that impaction is the likely culprit. In addition to a full blood analysis, “Mingo” was immediately put on antibiotics as well as given fluids to correct the dehydration. Hospital staff will initially try non-surgical methods to help the animal pass the foreign body(ies) which are likely plastic and basic supportive care will continue.

"Hilton"

SCDNR brought in a small Kemp's ridley sea turtle approximately 1am Sunday morning that had ingested a fish hook. Radiographs confirmed not one hook but two hooks in the esophagus! One hook was likely a previous incident which went unreported. Endoscopic surgery was performed to remove the hook. Sadly, the second hook (and likely older incident) was nowhere to be visualized in the esophagus. This hook injury likely occurred in the past where the hook had time to penetrate and become encapsulated in the esophagus and surrounding subcutaneous tissue. Invasive surgery will be required if we decide the hook presents a risk. The turtle will be evaluated in rehabilitation and the hook may not need to be removed. If anyone knows of a turtle being caught or catches a sea turtles on hook and line, get help if you are unable to remove the hook successfully and don’t cut the leader short!

"Little Debbie"

Little Debbie, the Kemp's ridley with a broken humerus and severe pneumonia, has made some improvement but the prognosis is still guarded. She is active at times and although this is good news, we need her to stay quiet to keep the broken flipper in place. Also, on Tuesday she took some food from our Turtle Whisperer Volunteer, Patricia, and the blood glucose has greatly improved. We would like to see lung radiographs clear up but in the meantime, we will continue to treat with anitbiotic injections, antifungal injections, antibiotic nebulizers and basic supportive care. We really hope see this animal get better. She is a fighter!

Thank you to all involved in the rescue and rehabilitation of these animals. It takes us all to help these amazing creatures to survive! You can continue to follow medical updates on these and all the patients in our hospital on the main Sea Turtle Hospital page.

Kelly and Shane

Myrtle gets an MRI at Medical University of South Carolina

2009-05-26T16:20:00.008-04:00

Myrtle is a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle that suffered a severe trauma to the head that destroyed a significant portion of the skull’s left side. Surgery reduced the fractures, and the turtle has made a remarkably fast recovery. All dead bone has been sloughed and the left eye’s function has tremendously improved. Unfortunately, Myrtle has become a “floater.” Turtles may become floaters for numerous reasons that include gas trapped within the body cavity (coelom) or intestines. Multiple attempts to remove trapped coelomic gas by needle aspiration were unproductive. Radiographs (the picture taken by X-rays) suggested that the buoyancy was either due to hyper inflated lungs or compartmentalized, trapped coelomic gas. Radiographs are best used to evaluate bone issues, and Myrtle appeared to have a problem with his/her organs.

An endoscopic surgery was the next logical step to narrow down the cause until Dr. Ed Jauch and the MUSC MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) team offered their assistance. MRI is a non-invasive (no surgical cutting) technique that allows the visualization of Myrtle’s internal soft tissues. On March 13th, Myrtle visited Drs. Ed Jauch, Paul Morgan, and the MUSC MRI staff. Myrtle quietly sat through nearly 40 minutes of scanning.

Results show that the lungs are the source of the buoyancy and that no surgical exploration for trapped coelomic gas is necessary. The MUSC doctors saved Myrtle from an unproductive surgery. Myrtle, or as I call him Tony Montana due to the scar on his face, is likely buoyant due to some neurological trauma suffered from the head injury that has resulted in hyperinflation of the lungs. Only time and weight belt therapy will tell if Myrtle will relearn to dive. He does dive normally on occasion when motivated by food, but overall, he enjoys staying at the surface. His condition could be compared to a human who suffered a brain injury (i.e., stroke) where the patient may have to relearn certain tasks.

Myrtle is not alone among sea turtles to suffer traumatic injury that results in permanent floatation and much remains unknown about how a boat strike could cause aberrant physiological behavior. The South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Rescue Program is very grateful to MUSC for helping us find the root of the issue and thereby avoiding unnecessary surgery.

Shane Boylan

Many turn out for DeBordieu's release

2009-05-18T13:12:00.007-04:00

It had to be one of our biggest releases yet – the release DeBordieu, a celebrity sea turtle in many ways.

DeBordieu, an adult female loggerhead possibly as old as 50-60 years, was released on the Isle of Palms on Saturday, May 2, 2009 in partnership with the SCDNR. Many turtle hospital tour visitors had met her during the 22 months of her rehabilitation in the Aquarium’s Turtle Hospital. She was quite a sight to behold during this time and even more so on the beach.
I have to say that DeBordieu was without doubt, the most difficult turtle I’ve ever treated. They all have different dispositions and as you may have read in her medical updates, she was stubborn during medical evaluations and therapy and at feeding time was not only picky but extremely messy, pulverizing most of the food she was given. Anytime we would work near her tank, she seemed to splash copious amounts of water out of the tank right where we were working. Coincidence? Perhaps. But that tough girl attitude may be just what it takes to survive in an ocean full of threats to her species. This old gal has survived this long and I believe she has a good long life in front of her in which to help to increase the threatened loggerhead population. We wish her the best.

Thanks to all who were involved in her rescue, her rehabilitation and to all who came to see her off on Saturday. Choreographing this particular release proved to be more challenging than expected. A lot of people have been involved during DeBordieu’s tenure with us and we tried to accommodate all during the release. We hope all who showed up at least got one good look at this majestic sea turtle before her return to the ocean. Be assured that we evaluate each and every release and constantly strive to improve the experience for all involved.

As always, thank you for your support of this program…we couldn’t do it without you!

Kelly Thorvalson

Children of Belton, SC do it again!

2009-04-25T00:08:00.009-04:00

I was invited to Belton, South Carolina for an Earth Day celebration on April 22, 2009. Belton is a beautiful little town in the upstate about 3 1/2 hours from Charleston. I had actually travelled to Belton 2 years earlier for a similar trip - the 2 elementary schools in town were studying loggerhead sea turtles and had held fundraisers for the Sea Turtle Rescue Program. These 2 schools were actually the first to ever hold fundraisers for the program and raised over $3,000 that year. Apparently, it was a big hit with the kids and since they kept talking to their teachers about it, they decided to do it again...but this time with an entire Earth Day celebration around it!

Through the 2009 read-a-thon called "Love the Loggerheads," 3rd through 5th grade students at Belton Elementary raised $3,373.00! Marshall Primary, the K-2nd grade school, also raised funds, bringing the total to almost $3,600 for the Sea Turtle Rescue Program! This wonderful donation will help fund medications, food and medical care for the sick and injured sea turtles that are admitted into the Turtle Hospital this season. The big check presented by the top readers at Belton brought tears to my eyes and the younger ones were so sweet when they gave me a huge jug full of rolled coins and bills that they had been collecting all year.

I would like to send a HUGE thanks to all of the kids from Marshall Primary and Belton Elementary for your dedication to learning about the state reptile, the loggerhead sea turtle, and for your hard work in raising much needed funds for the turtle hospital. And although I'm sure many were involved from each school in making this happen, I would especially like to thank Patsy Martin from Marshall and Kate Byrd from Belton, for being such passionate educators and for being great inspirations to the kids you teach. YOU ALL ARE AMAZING!

Keep up the great work and remember - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!

Kelly Thorvalson