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INDEX |
AND STAFF |
TRACKING |
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ALBUM |
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INDEX |
AND STAFF |
TRACKING |
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ALBUM |
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| lennie | boater | lefty | oceans11 | ranger | IC | canady | SSN NC | monroe | holden III |
| nichols | lea | rich | capefear |
padi |
banks2 |
zack |
griffin |
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GRIFFIN
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LOGGERHEAD Caretta caretta Juvenile |
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| THE STRANDING | Found debilitated in the warm
waters of a power plant canal, muddy and ready for a helping hand. |
| THE TREATMENT | Warmed slowly overnight. Rarely do we give a patient a “people name.” Not long ago we received a donation for our “Family Giving Challenge” in memory of a young child named Griffin. The letter that came with the donation tugged at our hearts. In 2009 Griffin’s family rented a house here on Topsail. After a visit to our hospital Griffin began to take a deep and continuing interest in marine life and conservation. He won an award for a book on sea turtles he wrote while in 3rd grade; his backpack was crammed with books on marine life and he spent hours exploring tidal pools and wondering at the creatures in them. He continued to tell everyone about his visit to our hospital and how one day he would “work” there and save sea turtles. Tragedy struck in 2011 when ten-year-old Griffin and his twin brother Nick were injured an auto accident. Unfortunately Griffin did not survive. Working through their grief the family remembered Griffin’s passion and commitment to help protect and study marine life. His mother, Britt “saw again the wonder in his eyes as we met your patients that summer.” They immediately knew that helping our sea turtles would be what Griffin would want them to do. We have named this feisty little Loggerhead in memory of Griffin. The family has banded together to adopt him and plan to return to Topsail when he is released. We hope that it will offer some comfort when they watch Griffin the turtle swim free and happy. |
| The Story |
He started eating squid on his first full
day, fish, no thanks. No matter what happens the first and second time the third time isn’t always “the charm.” This small Loggerhead arrived at our hospital a few weeks ago sporting a tag on her rear flipper, and also showing the scars from where a second tag had been on her other flipper. Turtles that are tagged have obviously been caught somewhere at sometime for some reason. Turns out that Griffin got his jewelry last year at the Nuclear Power Plant in Brunswick County. Could it be that he liked those sparkly baubles so much he went back to replace the one that was lost? It’s not unusual to get calls from power plants about sea turtles who have found their way into channels and intake/discharge areas around these facilities. He may have been trying to escape the rapidly cooling coastal waters. No matter what the reason, his plan was flawed because when he was found he was well on his way to becoming very seriously cold-stunned. Even a little bit of a chill can slow a turtle down, and Griffin was in an especially precarious position because alligators like to hang out around power plant ponds. Luckily for Griffin the personnel at the nuclear facility do a great job of spotting and rescuing wayward sea turtles. It wasn’t long before he was out of the water and out of danger from any marauding alligators looking for an easy meal. Once in our hands he was gradually warmed up to a more comfortable sea turtle temperature and started on our protocol of antibiotics (just in case), daily baths and hearty meals. Now we happen to think all sea turtles are the most beautiful creatures around, but Griffin has enthralled us with his inquisitive personality and a face that goes way beyond endearing. We just can’t help hanging out around his tank, giving him extra attention and blubbering “aawww, you’re so CUTE!” |
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