Phil, a juvenile Kemp’s Ridley turtle, swam out to deep water Friday, August 27, 2010. It was found with a fishing line wound around its neck. After a rehabilitative stay at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, Phil was ready to be released. AmeriCorps members who will finish their work on the end of the month celebrated its swimming away.
Phil’s Release video (click here)
That’s right! We are planning to release 3 turtles: Pumpkin, Night Watch and Skidaway on Sunday, September 20, 2009 during the last day of Jekyll Island’s Annual Shrimp and Grits Festival!
As most of you probably know, Pumpkin (LEFT), a sub-adult Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) sea turtle, was supposed to be released on May 13, 2009 during our Annual Nest Fest event. However, due to complications observed after the transmitter placement, we decided not to release Pumpkin, in his/her best interest.
Now that Pumpkin’s infections have cleared up and he/she has been taken off of antibiotics, has sunk to the bottom of her tank, and is eating normally, it’s time to let her go! You’ll be able to track Pumpkin after his/her release on www.seaturtle.org (please be patient, it usually takes a few days for the tracking page to come up) and you’ll also be able to adopt Pumpkin as an Option #2 turtle through the GSTC’s Adopt-a-Sea Turtle Program! (*Option #2 adoptions help to offset additional costs attributed to the satellite transmitters after release. We have to pay for ’satellite time’ and data management for as long as the turtle transmits a signal!)
Night Watch (RIGHT), a young sub-adult Loggerhead sea turtle, is also ready for release. She was found by the Georgia Bulldog (a sea turtle research vessel) and brought to the Center for care. He/she has responded very well to treatment and is ready for release!
Night Watch will not be getting a satellite transmitter due to her size and prominent dorsal ridge that is still evident on her carapace (shell). This ridge is normal for loggerhead sea turtles of this size class, and with time, will eventually smooth out. This ridge would require us to place the transmitter off-center and could yield in inaccurate data, not to mention potentially making the turtle feel ‘off balance’. Night Watch will still receive a final exam, flipper tags and a PIT tag.
And last, but not least, Skidaway. Skidaway is a small, juvenile Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) sea turtle. This is the rarest and most critically endangered species of sea turtle in the world! Skidaway has been with us since June 2009 from the Tybee Marine Science Center. Skidaway will also not be receiving a satellite transmitter due mostly to her size…the transmitter is too big and weighs too much for such a small turtle! She will receive a PIT tag.
Details:
When: Sunday, September 20, 2009
Time: 3:00 pm
Location: North side of the Convention Center on Jekyll Island, GA
This event is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, space is first come, first serve! So come on out and say good-bye and good luck with us to 3 wonderful patients!
Sincerely,
Stefanie Ouellette
Marine Field Programs Coordinator
*Please note that all releases are subject to change at any time (date, time, location, etc.) in the best interest of the turtle(s).
Dr. Norton feeling for fish hook before surgery.
Close to 5 PM on July 3, 2009, a juvenile Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle was rushed into our hospital. I happened to be standing at the treatment window talking about the snapping turtle who was getting bandage changes, when the doors flew open and an intern came in with the little sea turtle. I noticed right away the intern was holding onto a string coming out of the turtle’s mouth.
A family was fishing off of Jekyll Island when they accidentally hooked the Kemp’s Ridley, who has been named Utah. Utah swallowed the hook, so we held on to the line with forceps to prevent the hook from going any further. We didn’t waist any time attempting to remove the hook. Utah had x-rays done, and we also put a tiny camera down his throat to see if we could remove the fish hook without surgery. Unfortunately, the fish hook wasn’t going to come out that easy. Dr. Norton had to make an incision in Utah’s throat to remove the hook. The surgery went well, and Utah is recovering just fine. Utah is still at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center while the turtle heals, so come visit before this brave little turtle goes back to its ocean home.
Nicki Pinnell
Education Intern ‘09
Utah in recovery tank after surgery.
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
The race began with an email, sent by family friend, Linsey Pilon, to my mother, Diane Noble. This is an extremely elaborated version:
Cold New England turtles are heading to warm Georgia! Two loggerheads, one green, and seven Kemp’s ridley sea turtles are going to be driven non-stop to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island.
Five of the ten turtles’ journeys began at the University of New England’s Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center (MARC) in Biddeford, Maine. All five turtles were treated for cold-stunning, or hypothermia.*
Who were these fabulous five cold-stunned sea turtles? They were Denahi, Chiquita, Forest, Yoshi, and Petunia. All were originally washed ashore somewhere in Massachusetts (locations range), taken to the New England Aquarium in Boston, MA, and further transported to Biddeford, ME.
After their, “few month’s vacation from their wild lives” (rehabilitation), the turtles were brought back to the New England Aquarium. Why? They needed to pick up a few friends on their way to Jekyll Island, Georgia!
Route's release
Nine of the ten New England rehabilitated turtles were released on April 29th, 2009. Route, a Kemps Ridley sea turtle, was not releasable at the time, but later released on May 30th, 2009. For more information on Route, visit http://georgiaseaturtlecenter.org/our-patients/
Are you wondering why I turned my trip to Jekyll Island into a race with the turtles? I had been receiving email updates from Conservation International and National Geographic’ “The Great Turtle Race!” The satellite tagged leatherback sea turtles were tracked along their migration routes. When a turtle surfaced, the satellite transmitter on its back would send a signal to the satellite, and the turtle’s spokesperson would write a brief blurb about that particular turtle’s journey.
I was very excited to hear about the New England turtles’ trip to Jekyll Island because the excitement of The Great Turtle Race was still fresh for me. During my lengthy car ride, I thought about the turtles. How stressed would they be in the back of rescue vans? Were they as cramped as I was? Did they have any idea they were going to the free within 24 hours of arrival?
Another slice of my anxiety cake was that the turtles were coming from my hometown and my alma mater! It suddenly seemed like Jekyll Island, GA was the place to be. Even the turtles knew that! (My apologies for my anthropomorphisms.) Now that I am here on Jekyll Island, I understand why the turtles were sent here to flourish. The ocean is simply full of life! If I were a turtle, I would go where the food and the good accommodations (rock crevices) are. Wouldn’t you?
That completes my story of the race from New England to Georgia. I will have you know that the turtles arrived first and were released before I got to meet any of them, with the exception of Route. I suppose none of the cold stunned five wanted to share snowstorm stories, anyway.
Thank you for reading my blog.
Amanda Noble,
GSTC Sea Turtle Patrol Intern 2009
Have comments? Want to suggest a topic to me? Email me at amandanoble@me.com or add a comment to this BLOG. I will try to satisfy your requests for information by writing at http://georgiaseaturtlecenter.org/blog.
*Remember, turtles are reptiles. Their body temperatures are in direct correlation to their environments. If a strong current carries them too far north, they will be unable to keep themselves warm. Cold-stunning is exactly what it sounds like: the shutting down of the bodily functions due to extreme cold temperatures.
We are happy to announce that we recently had 2 very successful releases! Both releases were conducted as a collaborative effort with other facilities involved in sea turtle conservation: Tybee Island Marine Science Center, Tybee Island, GA and the New England Aquarium in Boston, MA.
Tybee Island Release:
Snowball
Blizzard
Chilly Willy
Nikon
The Tybee Island Release took place on Saturday, April 25, 2009 following the Marine Science Center’s annual Turtle Trot (please see a previous BLOG about this event!). GSTC staff accompanied the turtles on their journey to Tybee Island early that morning and all arrived safely. At approximately 10am, 4 turtles: Snowball & Blizzard, both loggerhead sea turtles and Chilly Willy and Nikon, both green sea turtles, were released back into the wild! Snowball & Blizzard had a satellite transmitters attached to their shells a few days prior to their release. These transmitters are part of an ongoing research opportunity through the GSTC where we are gaining valuable information on sea turtle behavior, foraging grounds, mating/nesting grounds, and migratory pathways. Click the turtle’s name to view their tracking page! SNOWBALL BLIZZARD
New England Aquarium Release:
On Wednesday, April 29, 2009 2 staff members from the New England Aquarium (NEAq) drove 10 rehabilitated sea turtles down to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island, GA. The group consisted of 2 loggerheads, 1 green and 7 Kemps ridley sea turtles. All but one Kemp’s ridely, Route, were to be released. Route will remain at the GSTC a while longer to recover from his/her injuries received from a boat collision. So stop on by and see him/her! The other 9 sea turtles were joined by 2 juvenile green sea turtles from the GSTC,
Cruella de Vil
Cruella de Vil and Pilot Drew, for a release on Jekyll Island. Some of you might remember that Cruella actually came to us from the NEAq in 2007 as one of the ‘Cold Stunned 7′. All 11 sea turtles made it safely to the sea to continue their wild existence!
NEAq greens and kemps
We’d like to thank the Tybee Marine Science Center and the New England Aquarium for their time and efforts in sea turtle conservation and look forward to working with them in the future!
Sincerely,
Stefanie Ouellette
Marine Field Programs Coordinator
That’s right, we are planning a sea turtle release tomorrow, Wednesday 4/29, on Jekyll Island, GA! Sorry for the last minute notice, but we just found our ourselves! This release will another cooperative effort between the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and the New England Aquarium (Boston, MA).
Many of you might remember last winter (2007) when we received 7 cold-stunned sea turtles from the New England Aquarium (NEAq); 5 of those 7 were released last summer.
Cruella de Vil
Cruella de Vil (pictured LEFT) and Tinkerbell had some extenuating circumstances that required them to remain in our care a bit longer. While Tinkerbell will still need to stay for a little longer, we are happy to announce that Cruella is now ready for release!
The NEAq will be driving down to Jekyll on Wednesday, April 29, 2009 with 7-9 sea turtles (mixed species: loggerhead, green, kemps) for release….and Cruella will be joining them! Unfortunately we do not have a lot of details, especially in relation to the time of the release. The NEAq folks will be calling us from the road when they have a better idea of their arrival time. For now, we are looking at some time in the late afternoon (after 3pm). The release will take place on the north corner of the Convention Center (area will be marked off).
We are happy to once again work in a cooperative effort with the New England Aquarium. 
Hope to see you all at the release!
Sincerely,
Stefanie Ouellette
Marine Field Programs Coordinator
The sea turtle session was sponsored by the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network (WIDECAST). This organization has Country Coordinators in more than 40 Caribbean States and territories and has linked scientists, conservationists, resource managers, resource users, policy-makers, industry groups, educators, veterinary professionals, and other stakeholders in a collaborative effort to develop a unified management framework, and to promote a regional capacity to design and implement scientifically sound sea turtle management programs (K. Eckert, 2006).
Among the capacity building initiatives is WIDECAST’s regional Sea Turtle Trauma Response Corps (STTRC). The aim of the STTRC is to strengthen and coordinate the efforts of people throughout the Wider Caribbean Region to respond to sea turtles in crisis, whether at sea or stranded along shoreline. The initiative includes the development of a variety of standard guidelines and field procedures manuals, as well as standardized reporting forms and database management software.
In addition to peer-reviewed guidelines, Internet-based resources, information management software, and other technical products, the STTRC provides regular training and internship opportunities for field staff and volunteers, natural resource managers, veterinarians, and rehabilitators. Recently a manual was developed entitled Marine Turtle Trauma Response Procedures: A field Guide, 2006, http://www.widecast.og/trauma). Dr. Norton’s first presentation was an overview of the field guide contents and how Caribbean veterinarians can be involved in first response initiatives for stranded sea turtles. Other presentations by Dr. Norton included “Pertinent Anesthesia and Surgery in Sea Turtles”, “Necropsy Techniques in Sea Turtles”, and “Managing a Sea Turtle Mass Mortality Event”. Other speakers and topics presented included “Sea Turtle Strandings in Barbados” by Barry Kruger and Gus Reader, “Sea Turtle Trauma Response Corps An Overview” by Kimberley Stewart, “Rehabilitation of Sea Turtles” and “Fibropapillomatosis in Sea Turtles” by Charles Manire.
Another objective of the visit was to evaluate some green turtles that have been habituated to hand feeding pieces of fish to attract tourists. Unfortunately, the turtles have become obese. Some solutions and compromises were discussed with local sea turtle conservationists such as feeding more appropriate vegetarian treats such as squash. Future trips may involve evaluating the health status of the habituated turtles and their wild counterparts that are feeding predominantly on sea grasses.
