7 Sea Turtles Being Released Tuesday, June 18!

In partnership with the SC Department of Natural Resources and the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission, the South Carolina Aquarium will be releasing 7 rehabilitated Kemp's ridley sea turtles back into the ocean on Tuesday, June 18 at 10:30 am! The public is invited to join us for this wonderful occasion at Beachwalker County Park on Kiawah Island. Remember to arrive early and carpool because traffic may be heavy and parking is limited. County Park parking fees apply.

Huge thanks to Gary Davis and Michael Taylor, the private pilots that donated flights to transport these animals to our Sea Turtle Hopsital for treatment. And as always, we are forever grateful for everyone that visits the Aquarium and Hospital and to donors and volunteers whose commitment is critical in these animals' recovery.  For more information on these sea turtles and all of the patients in our hospital, visit the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital webpage.

Hope to see you Tuesday!
Kelly Thorvalson
Sea Turtle Rescue Program Manager

 

Update on our Cold-Stunned Kemp's Ridleys

Our Sea Turtle Hospital is still caring for twelve endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles that were flown to South Carolina to complete their rehabilitation after stranding in Massachussets this winter. (Blogs detailing the arrival of these turtles can be found here and here.) These ridleys received excellent inital treatment from the New England Aquarium Marine Animal Rescue Program and, as such, arrived at our hospital in stable condition with no major issues.

DAVIS

This 9-pound Kemp's ridley has struggled to recover from cold-stunning in Massachussets last November. X-rays performed in January revealed lung fields that looked somewhat compromised (the normally black lung fields were "cloudy" and hard to see), so a second antibiotic was administered to prevent severe pneumonia. Iron injections were also necessary to combat anemia (PCV=18).



While you probably won't see the issue is this radiograph with Davis' lungs, you can see evidence of the bone deformation present on Davis' shell.

Compare this photo with the one above to see how Davis' shell deformity looks both on the x-ray and in real life. This ridley is very easy to distinguish from the others!

On a good note, Davis is currently off medications and seems to be recovering well. Check out his hospital page here.


Davis on March 7th, 2013.

CAPE COD

This feisty sea turtle stranded in Sandwich, Massachussets, and weighed less than four pounds upon arrival to our facility. Regular physical examinations, which include obtaining weights and measurements, are important to assess the health of these animals, to adjust their diets based on body condition, and are also a great tool for catching potential health issues early.

Cape Cod receives a physical examination.

In the upper right corner of this x-ray, you can see the "finger bones," or phalanges, in Cape Cod's right front flipper. The joint circled in red is beginning to deteriorate and will need to be closely monitored.

Kemp's ridleys are prone to bone issues like we are seeing in Cape Cod. S/he will remain in our care until the bone lysis stabilizes.

SAINT

This endearingly small ridley quickly became a staff favorite. Although thin and weighing only 2.9 pounds at admission, Saint needed only a quality diet and antibiotics to improve his health.



Saint's plastron was bruised and abraded upon arrival in December 2012.

Our veterinarian, Dr. Shane Boylan, is currently reviewing this turtle's blood work and radiographs to see if Saint can be medically cleared and released back into the ocean in the near future.



Saint is an active swimmer and seems to appreciate his first class accommodations (i.e. tank space with a viewing window).

Bring your family to visit all 23 sea turtles currently recuperating in our Sea Turtle Hospital and wish them well before they return to the Atlantic Ocean later this year. Spring break is the perfect time to see these amazing creatures on one of our behind-the-scenes tours, an exciting and educational experience for all. Our ridleys look forward to meeting you!

Christi Hughes

Sea Turtle Biologist

Taylor Enjoys A Fish Pop!

Taylor was one of five sea turtles transported to the South Carolina Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital on January 16, 2013. Out of 15 cold-stunned sea turtles transferred from the New England Aquarium, Taylor is the only loggerhead. Since arriving, Taylor has thrived in the hospital and has recently started enjoying a variety of enrichment we offer to our patients. S/he shows the greatest interest in fish pops which are offered once a week. A fish pop is simply fish frozen with water and because it floats at the  water's surface,  it is more challenging to eat. It is also beneficial to work the jaw muscles!

A fish pop!

 

Come see Taylor and 24 more patients on a behind-the-scenes tour!

 

Whitney Daniel

Sea Turtle Biologist

 
 

Recent Cold Stun Arrivals Bring Patient Load to 25

With the eastern coast of the US experiencing one of the largest cold-stunning events in history, the South Carolina Aquarium's Sea Turtle Rescue Program has admitted 18 cold stunned sea turtles since December to help. In addition to the ten endangered sea turtles flown in by private pilot on December 5th from New England, 8 additional sea turtles that originally cold stunned North Carolina and New England were recently admitted.

North Carolina Cold Stun Admissions

On Thursday, January 10th, South Carolina Aquarium staff met Sarah Finn from the NC Wildlife Commission at the NC/SC border to transfer three juvenile loggerheads that had recently cold stunned in NC.

Sarah carries a bin with one of the loggerhead sea turtles to the Aquarium's husbandry van.

Each turtle was transferred to a new transport container.

The loggerheads travel in separate containers with padding. It is not necessary to transport them in water since they are air breathers. 

Manteo immediately crawled to the corner of the bin but then stayed quiet for the rest of the ride.

Kit stays calm during the medical evaluation.

The turtles receive full physical examinations.

Buxton goes into the holding pool in the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital.

New England Cold-Stun Admissions

On Monday, January 14th, five additional sea turtles were flown in by private pilot Michael Taylor from the Boston, MA area. The loggerhead and 4 Kemp's ridleys had been receiving treatment at the New England Aquarium's Animal Care Center.

The plane coming in for the landing at Atlantic Aviation in Charleston, SC.

The Piper Cheyenne 400 twin turboprop - a beautiful plane!

Owner and pilot, Michael Taylor lifts the juvenile loggerhead out of the cargo space...

...and hands it over to Kelly Thorvalson. What a gorgeous sea turtle!

Atlantic Aviation staff helps offload the boxes of Kemp's ridley sea turtles.

A close up photo of the loggerhead that has been named "Taylor" after the pilot. The purple band on the left flipper helped to identify the turtle during its stay at the New England Aquarium's Animal Care Center where many loggerheads are being treated.

The turtles get loaded into the Aquarium's husbandry van to be transported to the Sea Turtle Hospital.

Sea Turtle Biologist Christi Hughes and intern Joni Vaughn help to move the animals into the hospital.

The numbers on the sea turtles are for identification purposes at the New England Aquarium. With so many sea turtles in the tanks, these numbers kept staff organized with patient medications, medical procedures and feeding. 

Weights and measurements were taken and the turtles received full physical examinations.

They were then put into their respective holding tanks.

The Post and Courier and AP media were there to document the admission.

A Kemp's ridley with a healing neck lesion.

A Kemp's ridley with loss of keratin on the front of its face.

A huge THANK YOU to Michael Taylor for his generous donation of time and flight to get these animals safely to Charleston to finish treatment. Also to the hundreds of volunteers and donors that are instrumental in the rescue, transport, rehabilitation, and ultimate release of these sea turtles. 

With 25 sea turtles currently in treatment at the South Carolina Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital, it is a great time to visit! Learn more about the behind-the-scenes tours and visit them online by visiting the hospital webpage. 

Warmest wishes,

Kelly Thorvalson

Hypothermic Sea Turtles Receive Private Flight to the South Carolina Aquarium

Private pilots in the Charleston area stepped up once again to help transfer endangered sea turtles in need of medical care. On December 5th, Gary Davis, pilot and owner of Davis Air, Inc. and pilot Neal McCann, transported 10 endangered sea turtles from Boston, MA to Charleston, SC to help lighten the load of the New England Aquarium's Marine Animal Rescue Program. The juvenile sea turtles, 8 Kemp's ridleys and 2 greens, were among over 150 that stranded along Cape Cod Bay in the largest cold stunning event in New England's history. This flight makes 3 times in the recent years that Charleston private pilots have helped transfer endangered sea turtles.

Gary Davis, Kelly Thorvalson, and Neal McCann in front of the Beechcraft King Air turboprop just before takeoff on Tuesday afternoon. 

At Norwood Airport just outside of Boston, MA, sea turtles were loaded onto the aircraft by New England Aquarium rescue staff Adam and Casey and South Carolina Aquarium staff Kelly Thorvalson. Pilots Gary and Neal packed the boxes safely into the plane.

In the air at approximately 21,000 feet, it was an extremely comfortable ride for the turtles. 

After the four hour flight from Boston to Charleston, the sea turtles were loaded into the Aquarium's husbandry van and transported to the Sea Turtle Hospital where they received physical examinations, blood work, radiographs, antibiotic injections, and fluid therapy to combat dehydration. Space is slim at the hospital and the turtles are small so they are sharing tanks. Dividers were installed to separate the solitary creatures so that when they start feeling feisty again, the biting that would normally occur is kept at bay.

Offloading the turtles for the transfer to the Aquarium.

Once at the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital, turtles were sorted by number and needs.

Physical examinations on all patients: Although fluids were administered pre-flight, the turtles were mildy dehydrated. Many are thin and have lesions on their plastrons. 

Medical diagnostics and treatments included blood work, x-rays, fluids, and antibiotic injections.

Four of the ten juvenile sea turtles in their new home away from home.

Because cold-stunning of sea turtles rarely occurs off the SC coast, the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Rescue Program serves as a back-up facility for those areas that become inundated with the hypothermic reptiles. So far, 36 patients have been admitted to the Aquarium's hospital this year, a new record for the program. Currently, 18 sea turtles are receiving care.

Patient profiles and names are pictured here. The turtles will eventually be posted to the main hospital page so be sure to check back to learn about specific ailments and treatments.

A big thank you to pilots Gary Davis and Neal McCann of Davis Air, Inc. for donating the flight to help these animals! We are extremely grateful for their generous donation. Also thanks to Dr. Jose Biascoechea for his assistance with admission of these turtles. Anyone that is interested in visiting the Sea Turtle Hospital to see the patients can reserve a space on one of the regularly scheduled behind-the-scenes tours M, W, F, Sat and Sun at 11:30am and 1pm by calling the Aquarium's reservation desk at 843-720-1990.

All our best to the New England Aquarium team for their tireless efforts to help the sea turtles stranding on their shores. Visit their Marine Animal Rescue blog to learn more.

Follow these media links to see more on the turtle transfer:
Post and Courier 
News 2
Also, keep up with all the latest news from the South Carolina Aquarium on Facebook!

Happy Holidays!
Kelly Thorvalson
Sea Turtle Rescue Program Manager

Sea turtles take to the skies!

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