On January 10th our hospital received its first patient for the year. A phone call came through early afternoon about a report of a large, possibly 250 lb, floating sea turtle. Stacey Money was out kayaking in the Largo Sound when she saw the turtle floating and reported it to FWC who then made the rescue. Rehabilitation staff from The Turtle Hospital met up with FWC to retrieve the turtle in Key Largo. On board FWC’s boat was a very tired sub-adult loggerhead. Our new patient received the name Rocky D after one of the FWC officer’s name. The crew from FWC who made the rescue was Racquel Daniels (Rocky D), Erik Steinmetz, and Rene Taboas. Once Rocky D was back at the hospital we were able to administer fluids, antibiotics and take x-ray’s. We also got an accurate weight and Rocky D ended up weighing 156 lbs. The x-ray’s revealed an impaction of the intestines. The intestines appear to be filled up with shell from small snails and crustaceans. Loggerheads will sometimes go after alternate food sources when they can’t find the items in their natural diet. A normal loggerhead diet should consist of crab, lobster, clam, and conch. After being impacted the turtles will begin to float on the surface of the ocean due to gas in their intestines, and they become very vulnerable. Sometimes the turtles float for a very long time before they are rescued but luckily for Rocky D he was found early! To treat Rocky D we have started feeding lactulose, fiber, and beano. We are also performing glycerin enemas which will help to move the impaction along quicker. Fluids help to rehydrate him and antibiotics help prevent infection. Rocky D is quickly becoming a favorite here as he is very cooperative during care and very excited during meal time!
Our newest patient here at the hospital is Taia. Taia is a subadult loggerhead who was rescued near the seven mile bridge here in Marathon. FWC officer Josh Peters found Taia floating and alerted the Turtle Hospital to the situation. Taia could not dive deeper than three feet even though she tried to swim with all her might. Working together, FWC Officer Peters and Turtle Hospital team member Jeanette were able to net Taia out of the ocean and lift her safely into the boat. Taia was then raced to shore and brought to the Turtle Hospital in the ambulance.
Taia is now currently here at the hospital and being treated for a bacterial infection in her intestine. She is on special medicine that will help cure the infection and stop floating. She has a great appetite, and it shouldn’t be long before she makes a full recovery. Stay tuned for news on Taia the loggerhead.
Dawn dives off the side of a boat back into the ocean.
Dawn was finally able to be released after being here at the hospital for over a year. He was originally brought in as a juvenile green sea turtle with fibropapillomatosis. He had tumor like growths that were removed using a CO2 laser. After he recovered from surgery, we still cared for Dawn for the following year. We kept Dawn here in order to check him monthly to be sure that the tumors would not come back. Dawn never had any regrowths, so he was approved for release. We took him back to the same location he was originally picked up off shore Key West. Dawn was released twenty pounds heavier and very healthy. Good luck Dawn!
Emily and Ben Graue, and Christina Stong along with her 3 year old son Kevin, were on vacation in the keys recently and got the thrill of a lifetime! They were snorkling on the Jolly Roger dive boat when they noticed a loggerhed sea turtle thrashing and struggling on the surface of the ocean. They informed the crew of the boat Captain Doug Morgan and Captain Bonnie Clydesdale of Captain Hooks Marina and Dive Charters, and they immediately took action. Captain Bonnie jumped into the water and using a lifejacket was able to get the turtle back to the boat. Once on board, they realized the turtle had a puffer fish in his mouth. When puffer fish feel threatened they inflate their bodies to make themselves larger. This little loggerhead tried to eat this little fish and then it inflated to three times the orginal size and lodged itself in the turtles throat!
The crew of the boat was able to get the puffer fish out without causing serious harm to the turtle. Turtle Hospital team member Gunnar met the Jolly Roger and her crew at Tarpon Creek Marina to pick up “Puffer,” the loggerhead sea turtle, and transport him to the Turtle Hospital. Once back at the hospital Puffer was evaluated, and other than a few puncture wounds to the roof of his mouth and a swollen toungue, was perfectly healthy. We see all sorts of different problems associated with the sea turtles, but this is the first time in our 25 year history that we’ve seen a puffer fish lodged in a turtles throat. Puffer is cruising back and forth in one of our rehabilitation tanks anxiously awaiting release. We are just holding him for a few extra days to make sure he doesn’t develop an infection. Very special thanks to Ben and Emily Graue, Christina Strong and her son Kevin, as well as the crew of the Jolly Roger dive boat for saving Puffer’s life. He very easily could have died without their help. That puffer fish was over the turtle’s airway making breathing very difficult, and it would have been only a matter of time before Puffer drowned.
Sully was found about two miles offshore in Islamorada, Florida. She was found by Suelle Rodriguez and Bart Harts who were out on Captain Jeremy Pfaffendorf’s charter boat “A Little Tail”. Jeremy had Suelle and Bart fishing for mackrel, snapper, and grouper in the Florida Bay when they saw a loggerhead sea turtle struggling to dive down and swim away. They knew something was wrong and called the Turtle Hospital to file a report. Team member Gunnar jumped in the ambulance and headed to Whale Harbor Marina. He picked up “Sully” (which is Suelle’s nickname) the 119 pound loggerhead and headed back to the hospital. Once there, Sully was evaluated; it was determined that Sully was suffering from an impaction or turtle constipation. When a turtle has an impaction, an infection is growing in their intestinal tract. That infection releases CO2 gas which compromises the turtles bouyancy and causes the turtle to float. He is currently on antibiotics, and our miracle drugs: lactulose, metamucil, and beano to help alleviate his impaction. He is currently recovering in one of our rehabilitation tanks and is expected to make a full recovery. Very special thanks to Jeremy, Suelle and Bart for saving Sully’s life. Who knows how long he could have floated around out there.
Earlier this month, the Turtle Hospital received a special little surprise; a four-month-old post-hatchling sea turtle was delivered to us by Dr. Jeanette Wyneken. This little loggerhead emerged from her nest on August 17 on a beach in Boca Raton, Florida. She and nine other hatchlings were taken into a lab as part of a sex ratio research study at Florida Atlantic University. The hatchlings were kept in tanks with running seawater and fed a well-rounded diet.
Once the hatchlings reached a weight of about 120 grams they were examined laparoscopically to identify their sex. Luckily, this procedure is minimally invasive. The researchers were trying to determine the sex ratios of the hatchlings in the nest because the sex of a sea turtle is influenced by the surrounding environment temperature during a critical stage of development. Cooler temperatures produce male hatchlings while warmer temperatures produce female hatchlings. Scientists are interested in the sex ratios of nests because understanding how many males and females are being produced is important in order to conserve these amazing creatures.
Fisher is growing rapidly and we are quickly becoming attached to the little loggerhead. She will be here at the hospital until she is large enough (45cm) to be released back out on her own. For now, she will be an education turtle to help us demonstrate to the public why sea turtles are so fascinating. Stayed tuned for more pictures of Fisher over the next couple of years.
We will measure Fisher weekly to track her growth.
We would like to welcome our newest members that joined our family during the month of December:
Amy Hopkins, Mary Crist, Stefan Goslawski, Katelyn Widmer, Joyce Gruber, Nancy Tatum, Bruce Jonas, Debbie Sue Jonas, Gail Kulikowsky, Bill and Zoe Hopkins, Allyson Felsher, Debra Meydag, Carla Siciliani, Henry Brent, John Kocinski and Ray Gabrish
Thank you for contributing to our efforts to save the sea turtles. If you are interested in becoming a member visit us at our online store for more information. Join today and support a great cause!
Thank you to all of you who donated during the month of December including:
Joseph & Mary Monahan, Erik Zimmermann, Stephen Johnson, John & Angie McDonough, Michael Lawrence, Kevin Schmitt, Nancy Turner, Frank Kohout, Rachelle Zold, Mary Ann Pohl, Beverly Kuna, Sally Lunn, Ed & Betsy Osman, Jill Baltes, Petra Bennington, Milan Nikolich, Linda Abbott, James Cambron, John & Lisa Domenech, Gwen Goldman, Eugene Staebell, Mary Ann Phol, Nancy Tatum, Lucy Richards, Lisa Nass, Elizabeth Rafferty, Shery Cotton, Jeffrey Riedi, Kelly Jackson, Michelle Boyer, Carl Trella, Bill & Zoe Hopkins, Michelle Hartz, Kathleen Hanson, Susie Curry, Bob & Sandy Momeyer, Bob Allen, Nancy Bousoleil, Barbara Huwar, John Kocinski, Ray Gabrish, Audrey Lama, Jennifer & Martin Mohr, Brian Weinstein, Birginia Weinstein, Nikkolette Garno, Michael Thompson, Wallace Williams, Dan Ballard, Karyn Scanlon, Gurdon Wattles, Karen Albano, HP Company Foundation, Maru Pineiro, Nabil Guketlov, Aargh Maintenance and Service, Loomacres Wildlife Management, The Howard Dayne Fund and Richard Worthington
It is your generosity which helps make it possible to provide the turtles with the care that they need.
Seasons Greetings from The Turtle Hospital! If you’re looking for the perfect holiday gift, visit The Turtle Hospital Gift Shop or Online Store and give the gift that gives twice! Find great items such as unique jewelry, Turtle Hospital t-shirts & hoodies, books and so much more! All items have been given a seal of approval by our sea turtle-loving staff. You can also adopt a sea turtle, donate or become a member and join our Turtle Hospital family this season!
We have our best sellers online, but if you are in the Florida Keys, visit our Gift Shop at MM 48.5, open from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm every day, including Christmas. We have stocked up and updated our shop. There are new “Turtle Hospital” items such as coffee mugs and mouse pads, as well as our old favorites like tote bags, t-shirts and a selection of fine sterling silver jewelry.
What’s best is that 100% of the proceeds of each gift will directly benefit our sea turtles. The Turtle Hospital is a nonprofit organization funded by the generosity and compassion of people like you. Truly, none of this could be done without your continued support.
Click here to start shopping: http://turtlehospitalstore.com
Adopt A Sea Turtle: http://turtlehospitalstore.com/adoptions.html
Donate: http://turtlehospitalstore.com/donations.html
Become A Member: http://turtlehospitalstore.com/memberships.html
Happy Holidays,
Turtle Hospital Staff
Thank you to all of you who donated during the month of November including:
Leah Schick, Vera Kunsak Charitable Trust, Douglas Bischoff, Andrew Crestodina, Tyler Tone, Peter Sufka, Rosen Howard, Aniela Nozka, Sea Life Minnesota LLL, Bob Allen, Stacey Zarcoff, Conner Quinlan, Ann & Joe Kearns, Craig Genievich, GoodSearch, J. McCarthy, Ward & Jane Warren, and Renae Rauchschwalbe
It is your generosity which helps make it possible to provide the turtles with the care that they need.
We would like to welcome our newest members that joined our family during the month of November:
Loretta Alkalay, Charles McGuire, Dana Miller, June Franklin, Kathleen Fauth, Gavin Tierney, Stefanie Lazanov, David & Patty Gross, Cynthia Catto, Jennifer and Michael Valarka, Michelle H Brown, Sandra Walters, Sarah & Erik Zimmerman, Judith Hogan, Kim Wells-McDonnell, Cindy Sandmann, and Ed & Debbie Brenner
Thank you for contributing to our efforts to save the sea turtles. If you are interested in becoming a member visit us at our online store for more information. Join today and support a great cause!
It is with very mixed emotion that we report on the release of our Education Turtle, Scooter. Scooter has been at The Turtle Hospital for three years, and in that time, he became everyone’s favorite turtle. Scooter was very photogenic and somewhat famous because of it. He has appeared all over the world in various media, including National Geographic coverage of him eating a jellyfish. He also went to all the local events and helped us educate everyone about sea turtles and the problems they face primarily due to human impacts.
Scooter, a loggerhead sea turtle, came to us as a 2-inch hatchling found in a local canal. He may have been disoriented after emerging from his nest in order to wind up in a canal instead of out in the ocean camouflaged in a sargassum seaweed bed. Disorientations occur when artificial lighting draws hatchlings away from their normal trek. He also may have been a “washback,” a term used to describe hatchlings that made it out to seaweed beds only to wash back in due to storms or heavy winds. Because of the cold temperatures at the time of his rescue, Scooter stayed with us for the winter. He then needed to grow to subadult size, the appropriate size for loggerheads in our local waters, before he could be released.
Scooter was growing at a pace of .25 cm per month in the summer, but recently had a growth spurt and grew over 1.5 cm per month to reach the 45 cm minimum size required for release. It happened so fast that we were not emotionally prepared to let him go, but Scooter was ready to leave us, proving this by passing all the tests to assure he could catch and eat live food in the wild.
Scooter was released in the Content Keys north of Big Pine, a pristine portion of the Florida Keys National Wildlife Refuge, by refuge biologist Tom Wilmers and Turtle Hospital founder Richie Moretti. Director of the US Fish & Wildlife Service Dan Ashe and his Chief of Staff Betsy Hilldebrand, pictured below with Richie, were the last to meet Scooter before his release.
Bon Voyage, Scooter. May you be the one out of a thousand that survives!
Gaby was rescued by a lobster boat captain on October 5 when he found her entangled in a lobster trap line. This is a testament to our 25 years of educating the community about sea turtles when captains know to call us for permission (sea turtles are protected species) and bring turtles in for medical care instead of just cutting them loose. Thanks to the captain’s quick response, we were able to amputate Gaby’s dangling right rear flipper before it caused infection and possibly death. The amputation healed very quickly, and Gaby was otherwise a very strong turtle. Turtles can survive very well with missing flippers.
Gaby, named after the boat captain’s son, was released on November 30 off of Coco Plum Beach by hospital staff.
November 17th started out like any other day for John Kocinski and Ray Gabrish in Cudjoe Key. The sun was shining, and all was right in the world. Being avid fisherman, they decided it was a good day to check their personal lobster traps. They made it out to Sawyer Key, when they spotted something thrashing in the water. They decided to investigate and upon taking a closer look, realized it was a large loggerhead with its left rear flipper entangled in a commercial lobster trap line; still attached to the 70 pound trap! Without missing a beat, John and Ray called up the Turtle Hospital to file a report. They noted their GPS coordinates and headed back to shore. Meanwhile, Turtle Hospital team member Gunnar, and Sue Schaf of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, jumped in the ambulance and made their way to Cudjoe Key. Once there, John and Ray got them in their boat the “Alley-oop” and made their way back to Sawyer Key. Arriving on the scene, they could see that this turtle’s rear flipper was in rough shape. The rope had already partially amputated the flipper, and it was pretty obvious that this poor turtle had been dragging this lobster trap around for a couple of weeks. They cut the rope, got her on board and headed back to Cudjoe. Once there, they got her in the back of the ambulance and headed back to the hospital to begin her rehabilitation process. Upon closer examination of her rear flipper, it was clear the remaining flipper had to be amputated. The Surgery was performed on Tuesday, November 22 and was a complete success! Aptly named “Jersey” after John and Ray’s home state, she is currently recovering in one of our hospital tanks and is expected to be out of here in no time! We need more people like John and Ray in this world. These gentlemen had a plan to fish and enjoy themselves, and dropped everything to save Jersey’s life. Without their compassion, who knows whether or not she would have even had a chance. They have been to the hospital since to check on Jersey’s recovery process, make a generous donation, and also to let us know they would love to provide assistance in the future if we ever need a boat. We completely rely on the public to find sea turtles in distress. We are very greatful to John and Ray, they definately saved Jersey’s life! Thank you guys for all of your hard work and your contribution to the Turtle Hospital. We greatly appreciate it!
One afternoon we received a surprise delivery that came in the shape of a big brown box. Once the box was opened we saw the treasures that were donated and a short note. The note said that one of the employee’s from the Affiliated Veterinary Specialist-Surgery Center in Jacksonville had visited our hospital and saw that we were only able to record scopes on floppy discs. This prompted the employee to think of us when they upgraded their own endoscopy equipment and hoped we may be able to use what they no longer needed. Our engineer Tom Luebke’s face lit up when he saw the box of treasuers and now had his project for the day. He took from the box an endoscopic camera, camera controller, monitor, and digital image recording equipment. We use endoscope equipment for many different procedures such as looking inside of a turtles cavity, inside of the esophagus, or inside of the intestinal tract. Also, as a non-profit facility, the only way we could afford such eqipment is through grant writing. The Turtle Hospital would like to say thank you to the Affiliated Veterinary Specialist-Surgery Center in Jacksonville for their generous donation of medical equipment.
The Orlando Sentinel featured our three year old loggerhead, Scooter in one of their video articles. Click here to watch Scooter. Scooter will remain here at the hospital until he is big enough to be released.
Scooter swimming around his tank.
The Bolles School Department of Fine and Performing Arts in Jacksonville, Florida, collected donations for The Turtle Hospital when they put on their spring dance concert. In addition, a dance number was specially choreographed for sea turtles.
A total of $388.35 was raised for The Turtle Hospital! We are very grateful to choreographer Angela Blackledge and the Bolles School Department of Dance for contributing to The Turtle Hospital. You can check out a portion of the turtle dance, “Turtles Rock,” on youtube by clicking the link below. It is very, very cute!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao-vwSMprGI
We would like to welcome our newest members that joined our family during the month of October:
Ruthanne Bishop, Craigie Succop, Michael Bentle, Eral H. Dendle Jr., Erin & Paul McLarnon, Patricia Hanna, John Diversey, Lorraine Barba, Susan Dykema, Karen-lesley Price, Deborah Drafts, Edward Hopkins, Carl & Nancy Miller, Curt & Margie Smitch, and Diana Tootell
Thank you for contributing to our efforts to save the sea turtles. If you are interested in becoming a member visit us at our online store for more information. Join today and support a great cause!
Thank you to all of you who donated during the month of October including:
Kelly Coral, Erik Zimmerman, Bryn Flanigan, The Schwab Fund For Charitable Giving, Lawrence and Jane Gould, Platts Market Center Beta Test, Markus Roth, Robert Luce, Kimberly Messer, Marc Heydens, Particia Hanna, STMCS 5th Grade Class, Pamela Bowen Wessel, Arundel County Grovernment, Angela Weckwerth, Pamela Hall, Luana Sousa, James Cambron , Debbie Thomson, Jordyn Magnuson, David Folkenflik, and Susan Mest
It is your generosity which helps make it possible to provide the turtles with the care that they need.
Karsten was released off of Sombrero Beach in Marathon, Florida Keys and quickly swam away. Pictured below in blue shirts are Mike Puto and Turtle Hospital staff Jo Ellen Basile, Tom Luebke, and Richie Moretti, along with several of a group of environmental journalists visiting the Keys and the Hospital this week (photo by Larry Benvenuti).
Karsten is a subadult loggerhead sea turtle that was found floating on May 24, 2011, in a local Marathon canal by homeowners. Turtle Hospital staff rescued him by scooping him into a net. He was brought in the Turtle Ambulance to the Hospital where he received medical attention and diagnostics. X-rays showed that Karsten had a fishhook in his jaw and another in his esophagus.
The fishhooks were expertly removed by our veterinarian, Dr. Doug Mader of Marathon Veterinary Hospital, using an endoscope and grabbing tool. Animal planet veterinarian Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald was visiting and filmed the surgery that day.
Karsten suffered from lockjaw as a result of his injuries and could not open his mouth to eat. Animal care staff stretched his jaw daily and fed him squid using a tube to place the squid down his throat. After months of this labor-intensive therapy, Karsten began to open his mouth a little on his own and was able to eat a few small squid. He passed his big test recently and was able to catch and eat a live lobster: a sign that Karsten was ready to go home after five months of rehabilitation.