EMMA’S DILEMMA

The ocean is the home to a little turtle I know.

I must warn you that her story contains some sorrow.

My little friend’s name is Emma, and she has a dilemma.

Sometimes, turtles get injured when they surface to breathe air.

A boat moving forward may bump into one there.

A propeller moves a boat forward; that is it’s purpose.

Emma and a boat collided at the ocean’s surface.

Injured Emma had washed ashore. We say, “She stranded.”

Don’t worry. She was not left abandoned.

Scientists picked her up and brought her here, fast.

The vet and rehab staff weren’t sure how long she’d last.

Her wound was severe; so she looked rather sickly.

We use honey to help heal Emma quickly.

A vacuum on her bandage at night helped Emma to sleep tight.

We wanted her shell to scar and be well.

Now, here is the issue.

She has infection in one type of tissue.

She is losing strength in her bones, which means she is fragile.

Wild sea turtles need to be strong and agile.

We worry for little Emma because of her dilemma.

We are still using honey on Emma’s shell.

We are also giving her antibiotics so that her infected bones won’t swell.

If you are saddened by Emma’s situation, you may feel compelled to make a donation.

We would appreciate any help we can get so that we will be less likely to fret.

If you live near, come and see our Emma, dear.

If you live far away, do not delay.  Read Emma’s story on this site, today.

~Amanda Noble, Education Member~

If you find a turtle on the beach that looks sick or injured, like Emma:

Call 1-800-2SAVE ME

For more tips, follow this link:

http://www.georgiaseaturtlecenter.org/about-us/found-turtles

If you would like to know more about Emma, visit the GSTC or follow this link :

http://www.georgiaseaturtlecenter.org/our-patients/sea-turtle-patients/current-patients

Thank you for your concern.

The release of Talbot yesterday (12/28/09) at the Cape Canaveral Sea Shore was successful!  With the support of the Georgia Aquarium, she was given a satellite transmitter prior to her release so we, and YOU, can follow his/her journey on seaturtle.org, just CLICK HERE!

Unfortunately Caton’s release yesterday was not successful. When placed on the sand, she did not take the initiative we expected to enter into the water. After giving her ample time to enter the sea on her own, we tried to assist her by bringing her a little farther out, however she became very lethargic and susceptible to the waves that kept pushing her back onshore. After 30 minutes of trying to release her, Dr. Norton did not feel comfortable with her behavior and decided to bring her back to the GSTC.

At this time, we are unsure as to why Caton reacted in this manner, nor do we know when we will try to release her once again, however it will unlikely be before the spring. We will continue to monitor her progress and, hopefully, get here released next spring/summer.

Thank you all for your patience and understanding!  On behalf of the GSTS Staff, we hope you have a safe and happy New Year!

Sincerely,
Stefanie Ouellette
Marine Field Programs Coordinator

Many of you are probably familiar with Griffin, an adult male loggerhead sea turtle who has been a patient here for the past 2 years (arrived on Nov. 16, 2007!). He has been a patient here longer than any other sea turtle and won the Patient of the Year award in 2008.

Griffin was originally stranded off Daytona Beach,FL and was taken to the Volusia County Marine Science Center. He was unable to dive and could not eat on his own. After several weeks, the staff at the Marine Science Center decided that they would like to transfer him here to see if ‘new eyes’ could help find the mystery problem. We received him, and after some initial x-rays, found that he had a lot of gas in his GI tract.  We also treated him for a bacterial infection. He finally began, and continues to, eat on his own but also continues to float and has difficulty diving.

Griffin was taken for multiple MRIs over the past 2 years in an effort to help determine the cause of his floating. The GSTC staff was unable to determine a specific cause from those results, however it appears that he suffered a vascular event, similar to a human stroke. For those of you who know about strokes in humans, often the person has to ‘re-learn’ everything from walking, to talking, to eating.  Well, this is the same situation Griffin appears to be in.

Griffin has been receiving physical therapy twice daily on his front flippers to assist in maintaining the muscle tone. The staff is also pushing him underwater when feeding to help encourage diving behavior.  However, none of these efforts seem to be improving Griffin’s condition.  If he can’t dive, hunt for food and eat on his own, he cannot be released into the wild.

The GSTC staff has made a few attempts to create a weight belt, much like SCUBA divers use, to assist in ‘re-training’ Griffin on how to dive.  There are many variables one needs to take into account when constructing a weight belt for a sea turtle, something that has never been done before so far as we know! It has to be well fitted, not constricting of flipper movement, or abrasive in any way to the turtle, etc.  Our attempts proved unsuccessful.  However, Dr. Norton was at a workshop and began a conversation with some engineers from Georgia Tech, Savannah Campus, who seemed very interested in Griffin’s situation and the challenge presented to them.

After a few months of work, the engineers finally had a creation to try out on Griffin…his first fitting!  So on Friday, November 13, 2009 they came to the GSTC and fitted Griffin with the weight belt they had designed.  Once secured on Griffin, he was placed back in his tank, with a few staff standing close by in the tank as well, to assist if/as need.  Unfortunately, all did not go as planned and Griffin had difficulty staying upright.  It appears the weight kept shifting and the neoprene straps we not secure enough once wet.

Don’t worry yet, this was only the first attempt!  The engineers removed Griffin’s custom weight belt and have a few ideas on how to modify it that may solve the problems we encountered on this first fitting.  So, stay tuned and we’ll update you as information becomes available!

Sincerely,
Stefanie Ouellette
Marine Field Programs Coordinator

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.

Simone-BEFORE

Simone-AFTER

After almost a year being under the watchful eye of the GSTC, Simone and Duffy were given the all clear by Dr. Terry Norton to return home to the great blue sea.

Both turtles have made a miraculous recovery from when they first came in, it was hard to believe they were the same turtles from when they first came in, to their release.

Duffy-BEFORE

Duffy-AFTER

I personally remember when Simone came in, as I was on patrol, walking the south end when all of a sudden around 4:00am we heard someone calling turtle patrol on the radio. I was one of the three that night and we all had a confused look on our faces when we responded to the radio transmission as who would be calling us. It turned out to be Jeannie Miller letting us know she just picked up a turtle found on Little St. Simon’s Island, GA and wanted one of to go check on her before the vet staff arrived later in the morning.

I was the one to head into the Center around 5:00am, and sitting in one of the blue dry-dock tubs at the Center was this turtle (Simone) completely covered in barnacles, not moving except a breath every now and then. In under a year’s time she made a complete turn around to being one of the most energetic turtles, very beautiful, and with a unique personality.

SIMONE

It was great to see her take a few crawls back facing the crowed as to say good-bye and thanks before making a grand entrance into the sea (she actually created a small wake).

DUFFY

Duffy’s story is also an amazing one. She was captured on the Georgia Bulldog close to the same time as Simone. She had a huge hole in her rear right flipper (RRF) that Dr. Terry Norton could put two hands in very deeply and you could see the severed femur. With a lot of TLC and an experimental treatment packing the wound with honey and honey comb, Duffy made a miraculous recovery. When placing the transmitter on her, Terry took one last look at her wounds, where you could barely put a few fingers into the RRF and maybe about knuckle deep. Duffy also had her own unique personality who was always fun to treat

We at the GSTC wish them the best of luck in their new adventures and will miss them, but we are glad they are home.

Thank you to all those who helped out with the release, and for all those that were able to make it out to watch the turtles return home.

Sincerely,
Simon Dilts
Sea Turtle Patrol Intern 2009

We welcomed a new turtle to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on February 3rd. Betty, a 115 lb loggerhead sea turtle, came to us from Gulf World Marine Park in Panama City Beach, Florida. Betty was having a lot of trouble opening her jaw and eating food on her own at Gulf World. She was sent here because we have had success with other turtles like this. We had to force feed her when she first got here, but she has already started to eat on her own and is making new progress every day.

Follow this link to the video highlight of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on CNN!

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2009/02/21/wolf.sea.turtle.rescue.cnn

The segment aired this morning, February 21, and will be featured again this evening.

Pumpkin and Varun made their first television debut and captured the hearts of thousands, we’re certain! Great job to Dr. Terry Norton and Erika Kemler who were both highlighted in the clip.  

Did you have the chance to see it first-hand? Send us your thoughts!

~Kelly O’Keefe, Educator

Charlotte, a juvenile green sea turtle, arrived January 17, 2008. She was found stranded on Cumberland Island, GA, located just south of Jekyll Island. When Charlotte was first brought to GSTC, an unusually heavy load of barnacles (Chelonibia testudinaria) covered both her carapace and plastron.

After removing the barnacles, the carapace showed evidence of an old boat propeller strike. Twenty percent of sea turtle strandings in Georgia are caused by boat strike injuries. The barnacles had actually been growing into the wound, preventing it from being fully healed! Upon placing her into a hospital tank, her tail end was observed to be floating above the surface of the water. A CT scan and MRI showed that there is actually a vertebral bone fracture or break compressing her spine and causing partial paralysis of her hind flippers and affecting the neurological function of her gastrointestinal tract. This dysfunction causes her not to have the normal movement of her gastrointestinal tract and to accumulate gas which causes her to float with her rear end up. While at the GSTC, Charlotte was placed on a diet because she loves to eat. While at the GSTC Charlotte received an all vegetarian diet supplemented with vitamins and calcium.

Charlotte was deemed “non-releasable” and we needed to find Charlotte a good home. Jim Gamlin, from Save A Turtle, agreed to help us find an aquarium in need of a sea turtle. Mystic Aquarium was looking for a sea turtle, but not just any sea turtle, they wanted a rehabilitated turtle that was non releasable and contacted Jim. Charlotte was a perfect fit. Her story will help other sea turtles by educating the public about human impact on sea turtles. Charlotte still has a chance to recover enough for release but this could take years. Thankfully, Mystic agreed to release Charlotte if she ever regains use of her flippers in the future.

After some careful consideration and a few long distance conference calls, the staff of both facilities decided that transferring Charlotte as part of a long term effort to spread the word about the plight of the sea turtle was the best option, and Charlotte’s migration began to take shape. The staff of the center started looking for a pilot that was willing to donate a flight for Charlotte to Connecticut and benefactor members Jane Beadles and John Dunham answered the call! Jane, a long time animal lover, and John a former air force pilot generously donated their plane and the flight and agreed to take staff members along! With that detail taken care of Charlotte was ready to go!

In the early morning hours of Sunday, November 23rd, Dr. Norton, Michelle Kaylor and Jeannie Miller, met Jane and John at the St. Simons airport and loaded her up for the flight to CT.

A quick three and a half hours later the transport crew touched down in Groton, CT and were met by Don Harrington and the Mystic Aquarium staff. Excitement was in the air as she was transferred to the Mystic Aquarium van and driven to the aquarium where she was weighed, given a quick physical and placed in her new home, the 38,000 gallon Stingray Bay exhibit. She took to her new home very quickly, swimming around and diving the whole way to the bottom of the tank!

The next stop was downstairs to see the exhibit the same way the aquarium guests would see it, and in the five minutes it took us to get there guests were already lining the sides of the tank asking questions about Charlotte and children were running through the gallery to see her. Needless to say, it didn’t take long for Charlotte’s impact to be felt.

Before we knew it, the time had come to eat a quick lunch and see the rest of the aquarium. It was particularly difficult to pull ourselves away from the tank and after lunch we made a special request to say one last goodbye. Standing at the tank before returning to the airport was a bittersweet moment because as hard as it was to say goodbye we knew that it was the best thing for not just Charlotte, but also for sea turtles and their plight as a whole.

We all miss Charlotte now that she has left the Georgia Sea Turtle Center for her new home at the Mystic Aquarium, but are excited about a new collaboration and all of the people that are going to be touched by Charlotte’s story.

We love you Charlotte!

~ GSTC Staff

Macaroni is usually the first patient of the day to be treated. If you come at 11:00 when the talking treatments program begins, you will mostly likely see a funny, soft-shelled turtle sitting on the treatment table with a towel draped over his face. This is Macaroni. He is a pugnacious Florida soft shell turtle that was found on St. Simons Island. He was hit by a car and brought into a local veterinarian who called us. Unfortunately for Macaroni, he had his right rear leg barely attached to his body! The Georgia Sea Turtle Center’s veterinarian, Dr. Terry Norton, did an emergency amputation surgery that night! The turtle has since then been recovering with a few bumps in the road. He is eating on his own, but in order to get him to eat we must soak him only half way in water, keeping his rear half from getting wet. Macaroni has an infection in the amputation site that caused us to treat his wound as an open wound for the time being and he may need to have the femur of the leg removed in the near future! If you are interested in learning more about Macaroni, please come stop by the sea turtle center! He does usually get his treatment first thing in the morning (around 11:00 o’clock), but because this is a hospital all times are subject to change! We’ll keep you updated on Macaroni’s progress!