Earth Fare Donates Organic Produce for the Third Year!

For the third year in a row, Earth Fare has stepped up in a time of need by donating organic vegetables to the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Rescue Program! It has been a very busy winter for the Sea Turtle Hospital treating a record 25 patients, six being green sea turtles. Hospital staff strives to provide our patients with a diet that is as close as possible to their natural diets in the wild. Young green sea turtles are omnivores and a large part of their diet consists of plant matter such as algae and sea grass. With help from Earth Fare's weekly donations, we are able to offer a wide variety of healthy organic vegetables such as romaine, green and red leaf lettuces, red and green cabbage, and bell peppers to our green sea turtles.

Earth Fare storefront, located in the South Windmere Shopping Center.

Earth Fare is known for their great selection of organic and local produce. 

Small shot of the huge selection Earth Fare offers.

Great information for buying organic.

Earth Fare's Food Philosophy

Produce Manager Matt Setter, handing over a full box of healthy vegetables.

Ollie is very excited to see all the greens!

Ollie enjoying some organic green leaf lettuce from a PVC feeder which allows the sea turtles to feed naturally off the bottom of the tank.

One behalf of the South Carolina Aquarium and our endangered green sea turtles, we would like to thank Earth Fare for their continued support of the Sea Turtle Rescue Program. Please check out Earth Fare either online or at their amazing store in the South Windmere Shopping Center!

 

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

Two New Patients Admitted into Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital

OLLIE

On Sunday, October 14th, a boater in the Folly River witnessed a small sea turtle being hit by the boat just ahead of him and was, fortunately, able to come to its rescue. Affectionately named Ollie from Folly, the 4.4 kg (~10 pound) endangered green sea turtle was transported by SC Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Biologist, Charlotte Hope, and was quite subdued during transport and admission.

Treatment included pain medication, antibiotic and vitamin injections, fluid therapy, and wound flushing. The turtle was intubated because it was not breathing on its own for several hours. Although the turtle was left in dry dock the first two nights, s/he is now residing in a filtered tank with a low water level.

The boat strike fractured the skull from the nares (nostrils) to the mandible (upper jaw).

In addition to the fresh wounds on the anterior portion of the carapace, there are also several old wounds present on the posterior part of the shell and plastron.

A combination of severe injuries and pain medication slowed Ollie's breathing considerably. The turtle was intubated so staff could breath for him during admission.

Fluids were administered through a catheter in the axillary region of the body.

Ollie was left on a ventilator overnight because he wasn't breathing on his own.

NORTH ISLAND
On Friday, October 19th, a 44kg (~100 pound) loggerhead was captured in the net of a research vessel being operated by the SCDNR SEAMAP program just outside of North Island. The turtle sustained two puncture wounds from the barbs of stingrays that were caught in the same net and suffered severe blood loss as a result. Through the evening, the vessel made its way to Charleston, arriving at approximately 11pm. Needless to say, it was a late night for the rescue team!

Angry sea turtles don't like to stop moving, so it was a battle to get the bleeding stopped. Constant pressure was applied to the wounds (it was primarily the front flipper wound that kept bleeding). Because of blood loss, the turtle suffered from a very low PCV and blood protein; therefore, hetastarch fluids were administered IV. In addition, sodium chloride was administered subcutaneously and antibiotics and vitamins were given.


All attempts were made to keep the turtle quiet and to stop the bleeding from the wound on the ventral side of the front right flipper.



The barb wound to the ventral side of the right front flipper is indicated in this photo.

Wounds were examined and treated, blood taken, and supportive care given to the turtle.

Both turtles are now residing in filtered tanks in the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital. You can follow the progress of these patients and all the sea turtles being treated in our Sea Turtle Hospital here. Huge thanks to all involved in the rescue of these injured sea turtles and to Barbara Bergwerf for her neverending photographic support.

Kelly Thorvalson
Sea Turtle Rescue Program Manager