By Karen Sota

After only a few short months in rehab our first group of cold-stuns, aka the “Twelve Days of Christmas Plus One” have been reduced to the “Five Days of Christmas.” Eight little Kemp’s were settled securely into tubs and hit the road for the US Coast Guard Station at Fort Macon where they had tickets for a ride to turtle-comfy waters. Joining them on the trip were turtles rehabbed at the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores and a few from New England that were flown in that day for the release. And what an enjoyable day for our volunteers who transported the critters – they were invited along on the trip – but thankfully were not released along with the turtles!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch we still have thirty patients in various stages of recovery. One of them, “Kaia” was admitted in November of 2020. Cruising around Surf City Pier probably looking for an easy lunch she didn’t think about what might be hidden in that tasty squid and found herself hooked. Still a juvenile, at just over 13 kg. she had been managing quite well on her own.

Normally hooked turtles recover and are sent home relatively quickly. But Kaia has not been that lucky. She has osteomyelitis in both front flippers in her shoulder areas severely restricting her range of motion. This infection in the bone is something we see with cold-stunned turtles, but that’s not why Kaia was admitted. It is possible that she had been a cold-stunned at some point – after all she is a Kemp’s, and they are notorious for delaying their trip south as the waters cool - just ask the New England Aquarium.

There are medications that can treat Kaia’s condition. We’ve used them successfully in the past, and she’s been receiving them per Dr. Harms’ instructions. But we know meds can have side effects and in this case it has severely affected Kaia’s appetite. She just does not want to eat, so now anorexia has been added to her list of medical issues. It doesn’t matter what we offer her, or how much time we spend coaxing her, she’s just not interested. She’s managed to maintain her weight but only with an aggressive regime of IV fluids and vitamins. And now the poor girl has air in her ears.

But there is some positive news. She now logs in for a daily swim in our therapy pool where our turtles can stretch out, work against the jets and start building back their strength. Kaia is using her front flippers to zip around! And hopefully more exercise will make her hungry enough to eat again. Although she won’t be going home anytime soon things are looking up for this lady.

Limited tour schedule begins in March. We’ve been busy over the past few months not only caring for our patients but making some exciting changes in other areas. Our gift shop has been totally renovated, and when we open to the public in a few weeks the entire area will once again be available for browsing and shopping. And by popular request you will again be able to visit just the gift shop area during tour hours. Lots of new items have been added to our standard favorites, and of course our online gift shop and adoption center stays open 24/7 so you can order our exclusive hospital
merchandise and adopt your favorite turtle(s). Check back soon to purchase tickets for tours beginning in March. Looking forward to welcoming you all back to our hospital.

Cold stun season continues. Although cold-stun admits appear to be slowing a bit that doesn’t mean we’ve seen the last of these frosty critters. At this point we’re getting the really debilitated turtles coming through our doors. And this year it’s been some very sick loggerheads. Please be our extra eyes for spotting for any turtle in distress. Don’t assume a turtle is beyond help because it can’t move. They are stunned motionless. If you spot anything unusual please call our Director of Beach Operations, Terry Meyer at: 910-470-2880. If she is not available, you may call the hospital during operating hours: 910-329-0222. We will take the information and we will meet you to retrieve the turtle that will then be brought to us for follow-up. The State of NC hotline for stranded, sick, and injured turtles is 252-241-7367. The state number picks up 24/7. Please note that all our work with sea turtles, at the hospital and on the beach, is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, ES Permit 22ST05.

By Karen Sota

Looks like January has finally decided to give us January weather and the cold-stunned turtles that come along with it. We continue to admit new patients and that means moving them through a series of hospital locations as they progress on their rehab journey. By the time a cold-stun reaches their “just waiting for a ride” tank in Sea Turtle Bay they’ve seen quite a bit of scenery.

Relocating turtles for the most part is easy when they’re the smaller greens and Kemp’s. You just pick them up and introduce them to their upgraded, larger accommodations. You don’t just walk over and pick up a two-hundred-pound loggerhead. There’s a process.

Recently admitted loggerhead “Sepia” needed a much larger tank and there just happened to be a vacant eight-foot one next to “Snooki.” Our staff prepped Sepia with a nice soapy bath and barnacle removal along with her extensive meds which include a topical slather of honey for a still-healing boat impact wound. Then the transport team rolled over her ride; a hospital gurney that’s, let’s say “vintage.” It truly looks like it was on the set of a 1960’s TV medical show like Dr. Kildare or Ben Casey but it’s perfect for the task.

Sepia seemed quite aware that something was about to happen and that she was playing a starring role as the group gathered at her tank to finalize their plan as to who was standing where, grabbing what and lifting when. With a compromised carapace from her injury it was imperative that she be handled in a very specific way to avoid further damage. With the plan in place Sepia was carefully muscled onto the gurney for her short ride down the hall.

Next step was to get her safely off the gurney and into her new tank, which has very high sides. And she didn’t lose any weight on the trip. Sometimes the down is worse than the up because a turtle, by now, can be a bit agitated and anxious and those big flippers are menacing. Luckily for the staff Sepia seemed pretty chill about the move and was cooperating beautifully. As her tank filled with water you could almost see a smile appear on her face. She had room to stretch out those big old flippers and just cruise around. Snooki, who doesn’t miss a thing that happens in Sea Turtle Bay did her best to peek over her tank to meet her new neighbor. Maybe she’ll have some advice for her once the humans leave for the day.

THE HOSPITAL IS CLOSED FOR TOURS. We are closed for public tours until spring of 2022. With cold stuns arriving weekly our staff is working very long days, coming in and leaving in the dark. But our online gift shop and adoption center stays open 24/7 so you can order our exclusive hospital merchandise and adopt your favorite turtle(s) with a visit to our website: www.seaturtlehospital.org. Your support through gift shop purchases and adoptions goes directly to the care of our patients. And thanks to our supporters for a spectacular 2021! And wait until you see what we have planned for our gift shop in 2022 – stay tuned.

Cold stun season continues. Please be our extra eyes for spotting for any turtle in distress. The smaller ones are especially vulnerable as they have less fat to protect them and not a lot of experience with cold snaps but even the large loggerheads can be victims. Don’t assume a turtle is beyond help because it can’t move. They are stunned motionless. If you spot anything unusual please call our Director of Beach Operations, Terry Meyer at: 910-470-2880. If she is not available, you may call the hospital during operating hours: 910-329-0222. We will take the information and we will meet you to retrieve the turtle that will then be brought to us for follow-up. The State of NC hotline for stranded, sick, and injured turtles is 252-241-7367. The state number picks up 24/7. Please note that all our work with sea turtles, at the hospital and on the beach, is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, ES Permit 22ST05.