Sea turtle rescue and interior design join forces this weekend!

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

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!

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!

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

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

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!

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