Loggerhead "Pluff" Being Released on October 10th!

"Pluff," a 65-pound loggerhead sea turtle treated by the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Rescue Program, will be released this Thursday, October 10, 2013 at the Folly Beach County Park.  The public is invited to come out to watch as Pluff returned the ocean at 4:30 p.m.   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).  Attendees are encouraged to arrive early, carpool and are reminded that parking fees apply at the county park.

Pluff was found stranded in the marsh on Hilton Head Island in June of this year.  Upon admittance to the Sea Turtle Hospital, Pluff  Blood tests were performed and the turtle was found to have extremely low blood protein (hypoprotenemia) and a low level of red blood cells (anemia).  Supportive care including antibiotics, vitamin injections and fluid therapy were immediately started.  After just four months of care, Pluff has fully recovered and is ready to be returned to the Atlantic Ocean once again. 

 

Huge thanks to all who helped with Pluff's rescue and rehabilitation. Hope you can join us!

PHOTO BLOG: September 14, 2013 Sea Turtle Release

Thanks to all who came out to watch Parker, Dennis, Crosby and Skully be returned to the ocean after several months of rehabilitation at the South Carolina Aquarium! For those of you that were unable to make it, here are a few shots of these beautiful creatures going home.


Parker:  The five-pound juvenile Kemp's ridley sea turtle was accidentally caught by a recreational fisherman at the Myrtle Beach State Park Pier in June 2013. 

Parker avoiding capture from Kelly!

Sea Turtle Hospital volunteer Jo Durham shows Parker to onlookers as she heads down the beach!

 

Dennis: This juvenile Kemp's ridley was one of 18 cold stunned sea turtles admitted by the South Carolina Aquarium in the winter of 2012/13. Dennis was last of the cold-stuns to be released due a joint infection he developed in the right front flipper.

Sea Turtle Hospital volunteer Jo Durham and laser therapist Jennifer Oliverio pose with Parker and Dennis right before release, with a little help from adoptive parent sign holders, Kendal and Ainsley Chunn!



Jennifer Oliverio show Dennis off to onlooker while making her way down the beach.



A beautiful photograph of Dennis before s/he heads in!

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.

Crosby is pulled from his/her tank right before heading to the beach!



Sea Turtle Hospital volunteer Jacquie Miller shows off Crosby to the crowd with some help from sign holder, Nate Millen!



Crosby getting a little excited!

Taking a little rest before heading in.

 

Skully: The 70-pound juvenile loggerhead stranded on a sandbar in Skull Inlet near Fripp Island in June.

Kelly and Lee load the Skully into the transport bin.

Janie and Mallory from the Fripp Island Turtle Team with Skully.

Janie, Mallory and Kelly carried Skully to the waters edge. The Aquarium's partnership with the turtle nest protection teams are so important! The Oliverio kids held signs so the onlookers knew who was being released!



A great shot of the large crowd watching Skully head home!



Heading home!


These releases bring the South Carolina Aquarium to 129 sea turtles released since the start of the program in 2000. A big thanks to everyone who makes the rescue, rehabilitation and release of these sea turtles possible, including the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission, donors, volunteers, interns, and the media that helps to spread the good word about our work!



Whitney Daniel

Sea Turtle Biologist

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

 

Sea Turtle Release: PHOTO BLOG

The Aquarium's Sea Turtle Rescue Program staff have been so busy with several new patients that we haven't been able to post photos from the May 23rd release on the Isle of Palms! It was an amazing release and we are thankful for everyone that helped and that came out to see it. We are currently working on a mini-blog series about the new patients that will start towards the end of the week. We are also in the process of analyzing several sea turtles for release so we hope to be posting release information soon, as well. In the meantime, enjoy the May 23rd release photos!

Birdie

This juvenile Kemp's ridley sea turtle was rescued near Bird Key off of Folly Beach, SC. S/he was badly entangled in monofilament fishing line and would not have fared well if a local fisherman had not come to the rescue! Read more about Birdie's admission here. Birdie was released by Sea Turtle Rescue Program volunteer/photographer, Barbara Bergwerf. 

Barney and McCann

These two juvenile green sea turtles were cold-stunned off of the New England coast in late November and were of the 18 cold-stuns admitted into the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital this past winter. If these beautiful little sea turtles grow to full size, they could be over 300 pounds! Volunteers Bev Ballow and Sherry Fox released these little guys.

Manteo

Dr. Boyland and I released Mantgeo, one of three loggerheads to be admitted from the North Carolina cold-stun season this winter. Although it took some time for Manteo to begin eating and behaving normally after the illness, s/he is one feisty turtle now! 

Taylor

This juvenile loggerhead was flown in by private pilot Michael Taylor in January of 2013 and was one of the later cold stunned sea turtles from New England. Released by volunteer Jackie Huffman and spring intern Joni Vaughn, Taylor wasted no time getting to the water!

Huge thanks to everyone who helped with the rescue, transport, rehabilitation and release of these 5 sea turtles. This release brings the South Carolina Aquarium to 112 sea turtles releases to date.  The hospital webpage has a full listing of all patients in our Sea Turtle Hospital as well as those released. Periodic updates are posted to these pages so you can follow the rehabilitation of them all!

All the best,

Kelly Thorvalson

Sea Turtle Rescue Program Manager

First Beach Release of 2013 on May 23rd at Isle of Palms County Park!

In partnership with the SC Department of Natural Resources and Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission, the South Carolina Aquarium will be releasing 5 rehabilitated sea turtles at the Isle of Palms County Park on May 23rd at 4 pm. The public is invited to watch as a Kemp’s ridley, 2 loggerheads and 2 green sea turtles rejoin sea turtle populations in the Atlantic Ocean.  County Park parking fees apply and carpooling is strongly encouraged as traffic will be heavy into the park.

Birdie
Birdie is a Kemp's ridley from South Carolina (Bird Key) that was found by a fisherman entangled in monofilament fishing line. We are grateful to so many boaters and fishermen that find these sick and injured animals in the water and bring them to safety.

 

Birdie had monofilament entangled around the neck and left front and rear flippers.

The worst of the entanglements was the left knee. The fishing line had wrapped multiple times around the joint, cutting deeply into the skin.

Had the fisherman not found the turtle when he did, Birdie may have lost the rear flipper and ultimately his life. Birdie has now fully recovered and his limbs are in great condition!

Manteo
Manteo, a loggerhead, was one of almost 80 sea turtles that cold-stunned off the North Carolina coast this past winter. In an effort to help NC facilities that were overrun with patients, Manteo was one of three loggerheads to be admitted to the South Carolina Aquarium and is the last of the three to be released.

Profile shot of the lethargic, cold-stunned Manteo.

A healthy Manteo getting weighed in our Sea Turtle Hospital.

Taylor
Taylor is a loggerhead that cold-stunned off the New England coast this past winter. When the New England Aquarium was swamped with cold-stunned sea turtles this winter, Taylor and several Kemp's ridleys flew first class to Charleston in a Cheyenne Turbo Prop donated by owner and pilot Michael Taylor. When Taylor was first admitted, he had a heart rate of only 8 beats per minute and was very ill. It took him a month to begin eating.

Taylor right off the plane.

Taylor had many lesions and cuts on the soft tissue and plastron. We are thrilled that he has made a full recovery and is ready for release!

Barney and McCann
These two juvenile green sea turtles cold-stunned off the New England coast in December 2012 and were flown to the South Carolina Aquarium by pilot Gary Davis of Davis Air, Inc. and copilot Neal McCann. These once cold, lethargic sea turtles have transformed into strong, wild animals. We love seeing how feisty the turtles get when they are feeling better!



Barney just after he arrived at the South Carolina Aquarium.



Barney (left) and tankmate, Bristol (right), in the Aquairum's Sea Turtle Hospital. The greens have such beautiful starburst pattens on their scutes! 

McCann, named after co-pilot Neal McCann, has made a quick recovery.

Several months after arrival, a feisty McCann is taken out of his tank for weights and measurements.

 Tips for having a great sea turtle release:

• Come out as early as possible (as much as 2 hours early) so you get a good parking place and a good spot on the ropes. The beach is a wonderful place to be!
• Plan to pay for County Park parking fees.
• The releases are usually very well attended and traffic gets very heavy. Carpool to lessen the traffic coming onto the Isle of Palms and into the County Park. 
• Look for people wearing yellow Sea Turtle Rescue shirts and ask lots of questions about the program and turtles being released.
• Bring water in a reusable water bottle.
• Bring a camera and take lots of photos!

We hope to see you there!

Kelly Thorvalson

Sea Turtle Rescue Program Manager