Three Sea Turtles Being Released Saturday, September 14th!

Three sea turtles from the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Rescue Program are ready to return to the sea! One green sea turtle, Crosby, one Kemp's ridley sea turtle, Parker, and one loggerhead sea turtle, Skully, will be released at the Isle of Palms County Park at 10 a.m., this Saturday, September 14, 2013.

 

The release is being held in partnership with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources(SCDNR) and the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission (CCPRC).  The public is invited to join the festivities and are encouraged to carpool, arrive early, and are reminded that parking fees apply at the county park.

 

More on the sea turtles being released:

 

Skully:

Skully, a 70-pound juvenile loggerhead was found by canoers stranded on a sandbar in Skull Inlet near Fripp Island in June.  When Skully was admitted to the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital, biologists discovered old wounds to his/her plastron which were inhabited by marine leeches; the turtle was also thin, lethargic, anemic, and dehydrated.  The leeches were flushed out of the wound, and supportive care was administered.  Skully is now back to optimal health and is ready for a return to the open ocean.

 

Skully

Parker:

Parker, a five-pound juvenile Kemp's ridley sea turtle, was accidentally caught by a recreational fisherman at the Myrtle Beach Pier in June of this year.  Upon admittance to the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital, Parker was emaciated, dehydrated, and had poor blood work.  Due to the location of the hook, the Aquarium's staff veterinarian removed it without surgery.  Treatment for Parker included injectable antibiotics and vitamins, fluids, and plenty of food to help him/her gain weight.  Three months after admission, Parker is healthy, strong, and swimming around the tank ready to head back home.

Parker

Crosby:

Crosby, a 9-pound juvenile green sea turtle was found floating near Crosby's Seafood on the Folly River in April of this year, the same night as the Aquarium's annual Conservation Gala.  Captain Gresh Megget of Absolute Reel Screamer Charters called SCDNR officials after noticing the little green sea turtle swimming erratically and covered in marine growth.  During Crosby's stay at the Sea Turtle Hospital, s/he received fluids and antibiotics, and minor carapace wounds were flushed and treated.  In May, Crosby's buoyancy improved and s/he began eating a diet of fish and fresh vegetables.  Now strong and healthy, Crosby is ready to return to the sea turtle population off the East Coast.

Crosby

We would like to send a huge thank you to everyone involved in the successful rehabilitation of these animals including rescuers, transporters, partner organizations, donors, volunteers, and staff - we could not do it without you!

Hope to see you all there!

Sea Turtles "Bulls Bay" and "Mini Ming" Get Released!

South Carolina Aquarium sea turtle patients "Bulls Bay" (65-lb loggerhead) and "Mini Ming" (5-lb green) were medically cleared for release on Tuesday, February 12th and the relay to release them began! As timing would have it, our NC turtle colleagues were planning a release for over 30 sea turtles that had been treated for cold-stunning in various facilities. The Coast Guard Cutter Block Island would be heading for the Gulf Stream on Thursday morning and we were excited to get Bulls Bay and Mini Ming on the boat. The turtles were weighed, measured, tagged and transported to the NC border where Barbara Bergwerf and I met Sarah Finn from NC Wildlife Resources Commission for the hand off. 

Sea Turtle Hospital Intern Joni and I move Bulls Bay into a transport container. Bulls Bay was originally caught in the SCDNR In-Water Research Program's turtle trawls and was not healthy. Finding the turtle early in his illness possibly saved his life.

Mini Ming originally stranded in Mingo Creek on Kiawah Island and was rescued by naturalists from the Night Heron Nature Center. At the time of admission, Mini was the smallest green sea turtle ever admitted into the South Carolina Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital!

Mini Ming, snug in his/her transport container, has just been through the first leg of the transport and ready for part two - the drive to the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores where she would spend the night before being released. 

Sara Finn and I transfer Bulls Bay inside of his container from the Aquarium's husbandry van to the NC Wildlife Commission truck while photographer Barbara Bergwerf documented the move.

Thirty-nine sea turtles were loaded onto US Coast Guard Cutter Block Island Thursday morning and headed for the Gulf Stream. Unfortunately, engine trouble forced the cutter to turn around before the release took place. The turtles were transported to the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores and a NOAA facility while a back-up plan was made. Special thanks to the NC Aquarium folks for these photographs!

Fortunately, US Coast Guard Cutter Fort Macon stepped in to save the day! On Friday morning, the sea turtles, including Bulls Bay and Mini Ming, were loaded onto cutter Fort Macon to be transported to the Gulf Stream for release.

Crew from the US Coast Guard Fort Macon, NOAA, NC Wildlife Resources Commission, and staff from NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores get one last photo before the turtles take off.

The South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Rescue's patient numbers are still higher than ever in the past. It was perfect timing to be able to release these two healthy sea turtles so quickly to have breathing room in our small hospital. Although there are 23 sea turtles still under rehabilitative care, pre-release analyses are getting started on several of the patients and we hope to have more ready for release in the coming weeks. Since the waters are still cold off the SC coast, turtles will be transported to areas where they reside in the winter. Local beach releases will take place again when warm spring weather warms our coastal waters. Stay tuned!

We are grateful to the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, US Coast Guard, NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, NOAA, and all others that helped with this release. And we are always extremely grateful for those involved in the initial rescue and the help we receive to rehabilitate these threatened and endangered species. Each step in this process is critical and takes many working together to make it happen. THANK YOU ALL!

Kelly Thorvalson
Sea Turtle Rescue Program Manager

South Carolina Aquarium's Sea Turtle Rescue Program Releases 100th Sea Turtle!

The South Carolina Aquarium's Sea Turtle Rescue Program hit a major milestone on December 27, 2012 by releasing the 100th rehabilitated sea turtle back into the ocean! Gumby, a juvenile loggerhead that stranded on Kiawah Island June 26, 2011, was suffering from severe metabolic bone disease among other problems and the prognosis was poor. During Gumby's 18 month stay, s/he made amazing strides in the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital. You can see his amazing recovery on past blogs here, here and here. Gumby was medically cleared in late December and released in the Gulf Stream off the coast of North Carolina by the crew the US Coast Guard Cutter Block Island!

Comparison Photographs

Comparsion shot of Gumby's changes after 6 months in the hospital.

Profile comparsion of Gumby after a year of medical treatment and expert care.

Size comparsion from admittance to a year in the hospital.

The Release



Gumby boarding the US Coast Guard Cutter Block Island.



Heading to the deck.

Crew prepping the basket to be lowered.

Off he goes...good luck, Gumby!

 

A Trip Through Time

Photographs taken throughout Gumby's stay in the South Carolina Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital.

We are so excited to have reached this milestone and it would not have been possible without a great deal of support.  A HUGE thanks to everyone involved over the years with the rescue, rehabilitation and release of 100 sea turtles from the South Carolina Aquarium! 

Whitney Daniel

Sea Turtle Biologist

Videos of Mini Ming and Ollie Enjoying a Healthy Snack!







The South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Rescue Program wants to start your new year off with a smile! Enjoy the videos of Mini Ming and Ollie, two green sea turtles currently receiving treatment in the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital, enjoying their favorite snack!

 

The Sea Turtle Hospital offers a variety of enrichment to all of its patients. One form of enrichment for green sea turtles is to offer vegetation. Hospital staff and interns have built feeders for the vegetables which allow the sea turtles to feed naturally from the bottom of the tank.

 

 

Mini Ming was found floating in Mingo Creek at Kiawah Island, SC. Notice the barnacles on the carapace (shell). A few larger barnacles on the carapace of sea turtles is normal and does not harm the animal. It is when a sea turtle becomes lethargic in the ocean for extended periods of time due to illness or injury that the barnacle load becomes so great, that secondary infection could result. 

 

 

Ollie was admitted to the Sea Turtle Hospital in October of 2012 with multiple boat strikes, the most severe to the upper jaw. We are thrilled to see how well Ollie is healing - the wound to his jaw has almost completely fused allowing him to eat with ease!

 

Come visit Mini Ming, Ollie, and the 15 other patients on a behind-the-scenes tour of our Sea Turtle Hospital!

 

Happy New Year!

Whitney Daniel