Bault

Bault (said “Bolt”) is a juvenile green sea turtle who was found stranded at Huguenot Park in Jacksonville, Fl on January 5, 2012.

 

 

 

Hugue

Hugue (said “Hue”) is a sub-adult loggerhead sea turtle who was found stranded in Huguenot Park in Jacksonville, Fl on December 29, 2011.

 

 

 

 

Helio-Noel

Helio-Noel is a juvenile green sea turtle who also survived going through a dredge in the Jacksonville Harbor on December 16, 2011.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Terra-Tiger

Terra-Tiger is a juvenile green sea turtle who survived going through a dredge in the Jacksonville Harbor.  He/she was brought to the center on December 5, 2011.

 

 

 

Jackson

Jackson is a juvenile green sea turtle who was found at the BAE shipyard in Jacksonville, Fl on November 29, 2011.

 

 

 

 

Gracias

Gracias is a juvenile kemp’s ridley sea turtle who was found unable (but trying) to dive in the Brunswick shipping channel by the Coast Guard on November 3, 2011.

 

 

 

 

Karen

Karen is a sub-adult loggerhead sea turtlethat was found stranded at the north end of Jekyll Island on July 11, 2011.  He/she was not injured, but was very debilitated and had picked up some fishing gear somewhere along the way.  There were no injuries, but she was extremely emaciated and anemic with a lot of epibiota on his/her skin and shell.  We treated Karen with antibiotics, gut motility drugs, and supplemental iron.  Currently he/she is still putting on weight and getting healthier by the day.  Karen has some very serious deep ulcerations and bone infections on her plastron that are still under fairly intensive treatment with debridement, cleaning, and bone cement therapy.  Another wound that involves the skin and tissue next to the shell is being treated with debridement and cleaning with subsequent honey and silver mesh packed into the wound.   Karen will likely be released this Spring or Summer.

Test

Test is a sub-adult loggerhead sea turtle who was found by the crew of the Georgia Bulldog on June 30, 2011 just off the coast of north Florida.  Test was in good body condition when found, however there was monofilament fishing line wrapped around the base of the left front flipper.  The line was wrapped so tightly around the flipper that it had cut all the way down to the bone and had eliminated any blood flow to the limb.  Unfortunately, we were forced to amputate the flipper the same day of presentation because of the concerns of excessive bleeding once the line was cut and removed.   Antibiotics were administered postoperatively. Unfortunately, the surgical site eventually broke down because of infection. The wound is currently being managed as an open wound. Heavy debridement is performed under sedation and anesthesia.  The wound is flushed with chlorhexidine and saline every other day and packed with honey and honey comb. The local hospital (The Brunswick Campus of Southeast Georgia Health Systems) donated a wound irrigation device that has proven to be very helpful. Test seems to be doing fine with only one front flipper.  We hope to release Test this spring.  You can check on Test anytime using our new Carettacam (webcam) located in the rehabilitation pavilion!

Tim

Tim is a sub-adult green sea turtle who was found in the St. Simons Sound on May 21, 2011.  Tim was found floating and unable to dive.  Tim’s gender has subsequently been determined by directly visualizing the ovary during a laparoscopic diagnostic procedure.  Tim may not have been the best name but she likes it.  Additionally, Tim was very thin and had small fibropapilloma lesions on the flippers and inguinal areas (space in front of the hind flippers).  Upon arrival, Tim refused to eat, and we were forced to tube feed her with a nutrient rich gruel. Unfortunately she did not appreciate this process and made it quite difficult to get her mouth open.  Over time, the beak became damaged and we felt the stress of tube feeding might be why she had not started to eat.  For these reasons, we elected to place an esophagostomy tube surgically.  Esophagostomy tubes require surgery to place but are significantly less stressful to the turtle if long term tube feeding is required.  We no longer had to pry her beak open and place a stomach tube. Instead, all we had to do is remove the cap from the tube and instill the gruel.   We feel this procedure really turned Tim around and she finally started to eat and we were finally able to remove the feeding tube.  Tim is slowly recovering, thanks to the esophagostomy tube, antibiotic therapies, supplemental iron, cisapride, and four large meals a day.  Tim recently had laser surgery to remove the fibropapilloma tumors.  Tim still has a long way to go, but she is a fighter.

Ed

Yup, that’s right, Ed is back.  She was found stranded in St. Augustine on May 6, 2011.

 

 

 

 

 

Ziva

Ziva is a sub-adult green sea turtle who was transferred to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center from the Volusia Marine Science Center(MSC) on October 18, 2010.  Ziva was originally treated at the MSC for boat strike injuries involving her skull and carapace.  Ziva’s wounds healed up very nicely, but unfortunately she had an asymmetric flotation abnormality.  This is most likely the result of damage to the vestibular system in her brain and lung adhesions inhibiting  full expansion of one of her lungs.  Both conditions were likely secondary to the boat strike injuries.  Because sea turtles rely on their lungs to regulate buoyancy, Ziva had a hard time in the water.  The MSC managed her asymmetric floating issues by placing her in a life jacket to help balance her in the water.  However, sea turtles do not like to be at the surface of the water, and the life jacket was preventing her from diving.  We performed bronchoscopy to evaluate her trachea, bronchi, and anterior lung and laparoscopic surgery to evaluate the remainder of her lungs.  Ziva was determined to be a female during this evaluation.  Instead of the life jacket, we placed weights on Ziva to help her become more balanced in the water and to swim and dive normally.  She does well most days, but still has times when she flips over and barrel rolls, which is not normal sea turtle behavior.  As a result, Ziva will not do well in the wild, but she will make a great exhibit animal and ambassador for her species.  With the help of Meghan Koperski of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, we were put in contact with Sea Life Arizona, an aquarium located in Tempe, Arizona (http://www.visitsealife.com/Arizona/).  They have graciously transformed their 161,000 gallon ocean tank so that Ziva will be more comfortable there.  Ziva will be the first green sea turtle on display in the state!  She will be flying to her new home on February 15, 2012, so make sure you stop by and wish her well in her new home.  We are all so excited!

Captain

Captain is a juvenile green sea turtle who was found floating at the Mayport Naval Base on October 15, 2010.  Captain presented with a boat strike injury on the midline of the posterior carapace and 2 plastron injuries.  All injuries have healed up very nicely.   Unfortunately, a CT scan revealed the injury to the carapace caused compression of the spine with partial paralysis to the rear flippers and damage to the innervation to the gastrointestinal tract.  Captain has a hard time keeping his/her rear end level in the water because the movement of the gastrointestinal tract has been affected which in turn causes gas buildup.  Captain has been treated with cisapride, a gut motility enhancing drug, to ensure he/she is defecating regularly.  Additionally, we are utilizing weight therapy to assist with the hind end floating abnormality.

Sunburst

Sunburst is a juvenile green sea turtle who was found on June 26, 2010 in Fort George River Inlet, Florida. Sunburst was named for the beautiful “sunburst” pattern green sea turtles have on their carapace. Sunburst has a severe boat propeller injury very similar to Juno’s. However, while Juno’s injury cuts into the left side of his/her neck and carapace; Sunburst’s injury cuts into the right side of his/her neck and carapace. Sunburst also has trouble using the right flipper and the right eyelid is partially closed although he/she still has some vision in the affected eye. Fortunately for Sunburst, he/she has no problems using his/her rear flippers and can be found swimming very well around his/her tank. He/she is eating and defecating well, which are both very good signs. Originally, Sunburst was being treated with both waterproof medihoney bandages and wound vac therapy, but he/she has healed so much that he/she has graduated on to just doxirobe and bone cement.

Caton

Caton is a sub-adult female loggerhead sea turtle that was found stranded on South Beach of Blackbeard Island, Georgia on June 2, 2009. Caton was named after Jan Caton, a former JIA employee and founder of the Jekyll Island Sea Turtle Project. Upon arrival, it was discovered that she was floating. Radiographs revealed a blockage caused by shell and crab parts which lead to excess gas build up in front of the blockage. She was rehydrated and treated with Cisapride (a gut motility enhancing medication) and numerous other drugs and supportive medications. After several months of treatment, Caton had improved and was swimming normally in her tank. Blood testosterone levels revealed that Caton is a female. She was scheduled for release on October 9, 2009 but after her final physical and satellite transmitter placement she stopped eating and defecating. Radiographs revealed a large quantity of crab parts and fish bones that were causing another blockage. Endoscopy of her distal rectum and cloaca revealed severe irritation to the lining of the GI tract and was diagnosed as an ulcerative colitis. She was started on a treatment regimen of enemas, corticosteroid repositories, antibiotics, anti-parasite drugs and tube feedings of mineral oil and a nutrient rich gruel. Unfortunately she missed her release date and will be spending the winter with us. She is now back to normal and is eating and defecating normally.

We attempted a 2nd release of Caton on December 28, 2009 from Cape Canaveral National Sea Shore, FL where the ocean temperatures are still within an acceptable range. However, the release was unsuccessful. She became lethargic and susceptible to waves coercing her back onshore. The decision was made to return her the the GSTC for further care.

On October 11, 2010 we loaded Caton onto a boat and took her offshore in a final release attempt. After looking stressed out for about 20 minutes she began to dive and act like a normal sea turtle! Unfortunately, about two weeks later, GSTC staff was called to a sea turtle stranding on the south end of Jekyll Island. Sure enough, it was Caton.

Soleil Moon Frye

Soleil Moon Frye is a juvenile green that stranded on Cumberland Island, GA on October 15, 2008. Frye was found floating and covered in epibiota. Upon arrival to the GSTC, Frye continued to float, but started eating on his/her own. It became apparent after observing him/her that there were some visual deficits. Frye also showed neurological signs sporadically when examined-nystagmus and has a fluid and air filled tympanum (middle and inner ear). Numerous x-rays, CT scans, blood work, ear aspirations have not revealed a cause to the visual deficits and neurological issues.Frye is eating great and has put on weight despite the various medical issues.The first CT scan was not of high quality because we could not get Frye to sit still and did not want to sedate him/her because of the risks at that time.Since he/she was much more stable, we recently repeated the CT scan under sedation.This time we were able to make a diagnosis.Unfortunately, he/she has a fractured skull which involves the neurocranium (encases the brain).While he/she still spends most of the time swimming at the surface of the tank, Frye has started to spend more time at the bottom.We are looking for a good captive facility for Frye because we do not feel he/she will do well in the wild.We hope Frye will be an ambassador for other sea turtles.