our 2008 Patient of the Year is…

PUMPKIN!

As part of our 2 year anniversary celebration, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center hosted its second annual Patient of the Year contest. 132 votes were cast during the month of June to choose the 2008 Patient of the Year, a turtle that best represents our goal of rescue, rehabilitation and release! Guests had the opportunity to visit with patients still recovering in the hospital and learn about former patients in an ongoing presentation.

Last year’s winner (2007), Griffin the Loggerhead sea turtle, received an astounding 121 votes alone! As this year’s host of the contest, Griffin compiled a list of 24 eligible patients that have arrived since our first anniversary last June.

This year, Pumpkin captured the lead with 30 votes, followed closely by Camden with 20 votes and Tinkerbell with 16 votes. The three turtles chosen each represented a different species-Loggerhead, Green & Kemp’s Ridley. We like to keep things well-rounded here at the Center!

Pumpkin arrived in October 2008 suffering from debilitated turtle syndrome. Emaciated, severely anemic, covered with algae and saltwater leeches, Pumpkin remained in critical care for the first three months of her stay. Her red blood cell count bottomed out at 5% (healthy turtles and humans average 35%) and no turtle has survived with a count below 3%. Pumpkin was literally on death’s doorstep and we didn’t think she had the strength to recover. Procrit, a medication used in human cancer patients, was administered to Pumpkin to boost her red blood cell count. Slowly but surely, she made a full recovery and was set for release on June 13, 2009. After a stress reaction to the satellite transmitter placement, Pumpkin has been given additional time to recover and we hope to release her in the near future.

Camden, a Green sea turtle, arrived recently as part of a mass-stranding along the Atlantic coasts of Florida and Georgia. Slightly thin, Camden was fed heavy amounts of seafood and vegetables until he reached a healthy weight. Camden was released Friday as part of our annual teacher workshop.

Tinkerbell, the Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle, has been with us since December 2007. She was originally transferred with 6 other turtles from the New England Aquarium. All suffering from ‘cold stunning,’ a condition where ectothermic animals get too cold to function normally, the seven were treated and six subsequently released. Tinkerbell developed some secondary infections as a result of the cold stunning, including osteomyelitis (a bone infection) and flipper lameness. We are continuing with Tinkerbell’s physical therapy and hope for a full recovery.

Thank you for showing your unending support of our ‘turtle projects’ and for casting your heartfelt votes!

~ Kelly O’Keefe, Educator