By Karen Sota

We often use the term “sweet” when we talk about our patients. Although some of them may have a bad day every once in a while, there are many times when our turtles are literally sweet.

We’re always searching for ways to improve our rehabilitation protocols, especially when it comes to wound care. Years ago we started using honey on wounds that were resistant to the normal topical creams and ointments. Although we were not sure it would actually help it did. In fact, it worked wonders. The turtles could get a little sticky but that’s small price to pay for the rapid improvements we see.

So why honey? Maybe the story of recent admit “Pixie Dust” will answer that question. This little 3kg green came in from the Cape Lookout area on December 21 with a bunch of other cold-stuns. And if being almost frozen wasn’t bad enough she also had a large area of deep abrasions in the form of an arc on her plastron and other wounds typical of a shark bite. To add insult to injury, literally, she had sand in her eyes and was toting around a heavy load of barnacles. She was pitiful, and after a slow thaw was placed in the very critical section of Sick Bay.

Her treatment protocol has been long and involved, initially including freshwater soaks to kill the barnacles. She’s been given fluids, vitamins and antibiotics along with betadine bandage soaks. Once stable enough we started honey treatments on that nasty shark bite. Obviously, you can’t just spread honey on a turtle and put it back in a tank of water. For Pixie it meant spending time on her back in a pillow of soft, fluffy towels. Honey was spread on her wounds, and she was off to dreamland (currently for ten minutes) while it worked its magic. With a bit of coaxing she finally started to eat, at which point we knew that the little girl had a future. If you want to see what honey can do for wound healing just look at the pictures of her on the day she came in and now.

So, what makes honey so great, other than its taste? It has three main properties: it's antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant. It is acidic with a pH of between 3.2-4.5 and when applied to wounds encourages the hemoglobin to release oxygen which is critical to wound healing. It’s a sugar and sugar draws out the water in damaged tissues, reducing swelling. It also draws the water out of any bacterial cells and that keeps them from multiplying. And it’s completely safe for sea turtles.

Pixie Dust will be with us for a while, and the staff love to spoil her. She has a perfect name for a perfect example of the magic we do at our hospital.

We’re still admitting cold stuns like Pixie Dust. We really do rely on our locals and visitors to keep any eye out for victims of cold snaps. So, what do you do if you see a turtle that has washed up on the beach or in our marshy areas or is in the water floating motionlessly? First, don’t assume it is dead. They literally can’t move, maybe not even blink. Whether the turtle is big or small immediately call our Director of Beach Operations, Terry Meyer at: 910-470-2880. If she is not available, call the hospital during operating hours: 910-329-0222. If the turtle is below the high tide line and in danger of washing out move it above the high tide line if you can do so safely. Ideally you should remain with the turtle until our trained volunteers arrive to retrieve it. If that is not possible find a way to indicate the location of the turtle on the beach by drawing large arrows in the sand or placing beach debris nearby. The State of NC hotline for stranded, sick and injured turtles is 252-241-7367. The state number picks up 24/7. All conservation work for endangered sea turtles at KBSTRRC and on Topsail Island is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, ES Permit 23ST05.

We are officially closed to the public right now, but have tentative plans to re-open for limited days beginning in March. Check out the Visit page on our website for any updates Our gift shop is open year-round online so you can still find all kinds of cool turtle-themed merchandise, much of it exclusive to us. And if you’re looking for something for those impossible-to-buy-for relatives and friends, consider adopting one of our patients.

By Karen Sota

We’re always ready to talk turtle. And during 2022 we had plenty to talk about. Last year we admitted the highest number of turtles in our history – 119. And that number doesn’t include the patients we had on site at the beginning of the year - making a total of 140 turtles cared for in 2022. To say we were exceptionally busy would be an understatement. And although turtles are our focus there’s a lot of public engagement and behind the scenes activity that must happen, too.

Last year our staff devoted countless hours welcoming visitors for tours. We opened early in the year and were open more days than ever before. We now have an attractive portico to keep you all out of the sun and rain. We reworked our education hall exhibits with lots of cool visuals and a variety of videos. We added a “search for the turtles” scavenger hunt and coloring page for kids along with a box of special shells they could pick from upon completion. And the gift shop – just wow! We took it down to the walls and totally rebuilt it not only with display structures but with so much new turtle-themed merchandise it will make your head spin. We focused on keeping with our mission of conservation in selecting products, many of which are exclusive to us and support local artisans.

But we didn’t stop with the hall. In October all on-site patients were temporarily relocated to other areas in the hospital while we undertook a much-needed rehab in Sea Turtle Bay. New energy-efficient lighting, rust repair and mitigation and the resurfacing of floors that were definitely showing signs of a decade of turtle care. The contracted work was completed on schedule and the critical time-consuming job of reconfiguring and replumbing tanks by our life support team began. Little by little the patients were moved back in, with a few of them getting tanks with a million-dollar view – a window. And we added information sheets about each of them along the railings so you can keep track of your photos during your tour.

We have some exciting things planned for 2023, but with almost seventy patients currently in various stages of rehab we can’t really tell you when we’ll be able to open for tours again. The staff arrives in the dark and leaves in the dark. Most of these turtles are cold-stuns and some look like long-term cases. We’re hoping that we don’t get another week like the one that brought all these guys and gals in, but it is still technically winter.

We rely on our locals and visitors to keep any eye our for victims of cold snaps. So, what do you do if you see a turtle that has washed up on the beach or in our marshy areas or is in the water floating motionlessly? First, don’t assume it is dead. They literally can’t move, maybe not even blink. Whether the turtle is big or small, immediately call our Director of Beach Operations, Terry Meyer at: 910-470-2880. If she is not available, call the hospital during operating hours: 910-329-0222. If the turtle is below the high tide line and in danger of washing out move it above the high tide line if you can do so safely. Ideally you should remain with the turtle until our trained volunteers arrive to retrieve it. If that is not possible find a way to indicate the location of the turtle on the beach by drawing large arrows in the sand or placing beach debris nearby. The State of NC hotline for stranded, sick and injured turtles is 252-241-7367. The state number picks up 24/7. All conservation work for endangered sea turtles at KBSTRRC and on Topsail Island is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, ES Permit 23ST05.

We are officially closed to the public for the year. Depending on our patient load we may be able to open for tours sporadically after the first of the year. Check out the Visit page on our website for any updates Our gift shop is open year-round online so you can still find all kinds of cool turtle-themed merchandise, much of it exclusive to us. And if you’re looking for something for those impossible-to-buy-for relatives and friends, consider adopting one of our patients.

By Karen Sota

We haven’t seen a lot of activity with local cold-stuns, but any critter that hasn’t made tracks out of Dodge by now is living on the edge. The water and air temps have dropped way below sea turtle comfy. All it takes is a few consecutive days of exposure to cold air and water for these cold-blooded reptiles to get themselves in a heap of trouble.

Turtles still hanging around the inshore waters might be here for several reasons. The long, warm fall meant there was still plenty of good eating, and they were so engaged in lunch that they ignored the cues that the waters were cooling. Or this might be their first year in from their nursery grounds in the Sargasso Sea. There’s something to be said for experience, even if you’re a sea turtle. Sometimes they are already debilitated by another event and just don’t have the strength to migrate. In any case cold-stunning is a life-threatening condition and the little guys are usually the first to suffer.

We admit frigid turtles in all sorts of body conditions. Most of them have been battered by the wind, surf and sand and have obvious damage, especially to their unprotected areas like flippers and eyes. They are so cold they cannot move, so they just lie where they strand, subject not only to the elements but also predators like gulls and canines. They often come with a heavy load of barnacles and algae, neither of which is a good look for a sea turtle.

Treatment begins with a slow warm-up in one of two rooms where we can regulate the temperature to prevent sending them into shock. This can take several days, during which time they are pretty much just hanging out defrosting and being treated with fluids and cautionary antibiotics. Once we feel they can tolerate at least some water we introduce food. Getting a cold-stun to begin eating again can be difficult. Our staff has no hesitation about literally crawling along the floor from tank to tank, dangling fish, shrimp and squid from feeders. Or sitting with a turtle for hours trying to convince it to at least try a bite.

Cold-stunning takes a toll on the inside too, damaging organs and bones. It’s not unusual for a turtle that seems to be recovering quite nicely to suddenly start rasping with pneumonia or quit moving a flipper because of bone lesions. Some of our patients have spent years in rehab after developing complications. Recently released greens Rosemary and Belle were two examples. Thankfully almost every cold-stun eventually goes home.

So, what do you do if you see a turtle that has washed up on the beach or in our marshy areas or is in the water floating motionlessly? First, don’t assume it is dead. They literally can’t move, maybe not even blink. Whether the turtle is big or small immediately call our Director of Beach Operations, Terry Meyer at: 910-470-2880. If she is not available, call the hospital during operating hours: 910-329-0222. If the turtle is below the high tide line and in danger of washing out, move it above the high tide line if you can do so safely. Ideally you should remain with the turtle until our trained volunteers arrive to retrieve it. If that is not possible find a way to indicate the location of the turtle on the beach by drawing large arrows in the sand or placing beach debris nearby. The State of NC hotline for stranded, sick and injured turtles is 252-241-7367. The state number picks up 24/7. All conservation work for endangered sea turtles at KBSTRRC and on Topsail Island is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, ES Permit 22ST05.

We are officially closed to the public for the year. Depending on our patient load we may be able to open for tours sporadically after the first of the year. Keep an eye on the Visit page of our website  for any updates Our gift shop is open year-round online so you can still find all kinds of cool turtle-themed merchandise, much of it exclusive to us. And if you’re looking for something for those impossible-to-buy-for relatives and friends, consider adopting one of our patients.

By Karen Sota

The cold-stuns are here. Every year, as soon as the holidays roll around, we know that any number of the turtles that strand along Cape Cod will be headed our way. On December 2nd fifteen defrosted critters reached the finish line at our hospital. It was a long and complicated journey, taking the efforts of a very experienced group of “turtle travel agents.” Initially rescued by the Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary they were triaged at the New England Aquarium and the National Marine Life Center. After receiving their seat assignments (banana boxes for all) and boarding passes they were flown to North Carolina by Turtles Fly Too, thanks to arrangements made by NOAA Fisheries New England/Mid Atlantic. Once on the ground in Beaufort, NC they headed down the road to CMAST (NC State University Center for Marine Sciences and Technology in Morehead City) where they were checked over by their vets and biologists from NCWRC. Finally, they arrived at our hospital late in the day on Friday. What a trip – literally.

We were ready for them. We advised Snooki, who is still enjoying her vacation in our therapy pool in Sick Bay, that she would be getting a lot of new roomies. Once the banana boxes were opened we found that we had 8 greens and 7 Kemp’s. That’s really an unusual mix for us. In previous years it’s been all Kemp’s, every time. Apparently, this year the greens found something interesting enough in Cape Cod Bay that they decided to party with the Kemp’s until the curtain came down. In any case, all these little guys are adorable, especially tiny “Tulip” who weighs only I kg.

Our dedicated volunteers worked into the night, assigning names to each turtle and settling them into individual tanks where they have already begun their rehabilitation. And these are some of the best Crayola names of the year. We’re wondering if “Screamin’ Green” and “Banana Banana” are going to live up to their handles. Stay tuned for more information on some of the more “colorful” individuals and follow their progress on our social media sites.

We’re officially in cold stun season now so please BOLO for turtles in trouble. If you see a turtle that’s been injured, cold-stunned or stranded for any reason 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 send trained volunteers to retrieve the turtle. The State of NC hotline for stranded, sick and injured turtles is 252-241-7367. The state number picks up 24/7. All conservation work for endangered sea turtles at KBSTRRC and on Topsail Island is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, ES Permit 22ST05.

You still have a few opportunities to visit us in 2022. We’re open for tours December 8, 14 and 17. Check the Visit page here on our website for times as they vary. And we still require ticket purchases in advance on our site. Our gift shop is jam-packed with all kinds of merchandise for turtle lovers, and of course you can adopt one of our patients for those impossible-to-buy-for relatives and friends. You can shop during those days without taking the tour.

Celebrate sea turtles all year long with our 2023 calendar! Featuring photos of current and recent patients, photos from the beach, and photos from behind the scenes in our sea turtle hospital, the calendar also includes fun facts and information about sea turtles. Click here to purchase.