Rehabilitation. Improving patient care and success rates through innovation.
The hospital treated 75 green, hawksbill, Kemp’s ridley and loggerhead sea turtles in 2012 as well as 796 hatchlings. Of those patients, 35 sea turtles and 796 hatchlings were cleared for release. Sadly, 31 patients succumbed to their illnesses or injuries, or had to be euthanized once they were admitted to the hospital. As of January 1, 2013, ten patients remained in treatment.
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The rehabilitation team’s primary focus is getting each sea turtle back to its optimum health so that they will be cleared for release back into the wild. One sea turtle released this year captivated local communities as well as local and international news outlets. Kahuna, a 200 pound female loggerhead sea turtle, was first found by biologists at Florida Power and Light’s St. Lucie power plant intake canal. Kahuna had flipper injuries from an apparent shark bite, which caused serious bone infections requiring special treatments of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. This was the first time in LMC history that hyperbaric oxygen therapy was used on a sea turtle. Because this type of treatment is a rarity in veterinary medicine, it received local and global exposure. After 18 sessions, Kahuna was infectionfree. Kahuna was placed into a larger deep-water tank for six months at the center where she prepared for her return to the Atlantic Ocean. On the day of her release over 1,000 people
gathered on Juno Beach to celebrate Kahuna’s journey back to the wild. Since Kahuna’s release in July, the center has been tracking her movements and displaying them online so that people from around the globe can follow her story. Several additional organizations collaborated with LMC’s Rehabilitation Department in 2012, including Dr. Carmen Colitz, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Inwater Research Group, Jupiter Dive Center, MacArthur Beach State Park and SeaWorld. The rehabilitation department also received some generous donations this past year including racing belts to secure sea turtles during transport donated by Laurel BMW of Westmont, as well as fish trimmings from Reef Grille to feed our patients. Additionally, due to the generous donations from the A.P. Kirby Jr. Foundation, the Fleming Family Foundation and Florida Power & Light Company, we will be purchasing a new 17,000 gallon rehabilitation tank in 2013. One in four of the sea turtle patients treated at LMC in 2012 suffered from injuries caused by human impacts, either through boat strikes or fisheries interactions. Sea turtles like Poseidon, a juvenile Kemp’s ridley, are prime examples of the effect human impacts have on sea turtles. Poseidon stranded entangled with fishing line severely constricting three of the turtle’s flippers. The right rear flipper was traumatically amputated by the line and the front left flipper was so severely damaged that it needed to be surgically removed. The front right flipper sustained damage from the fishing line and needed to be further assessed once the swelling decreased. After nearly a year and a half in rehabilitation, Poseidon was successfully released. While Poseidon’s ending is a happy one, this story emphasizes the need for ocean conservation education. Although the ocean will never be completely free from threats, the innovative and unique rehabilitation work carried out by LMC in collaboration with its network of community partners inspires hope for a safer ocean.
Photo courtesy of Melanie Bell - Kahuna’s releasse
Since 1983, Loggerhead Marinelife Center has been dedicated to the rehabilitation of sick and injured sea turtles. The rehabilitation program’s ability to more effectively treat sea turtles was significantly improved with the opening of the on-site Gordon and Patricia Gray Veterinary Hospital in 2007. This addition included a surgical suite and x-ray room, allowing more sea turtles to be examined and treated at LMC. The center’s hospital is the only sea turtle hospital between Orlando and the Florida Keys, making it a prime location for sea turtle rehabilitation. Today, 76 volunteers work with four rehabilitation employees to continue this crucial, life-saving program.
2012 Released Patients: Geoffrey Checkers Dexter Guinness Chestnut Eggnog Haymitch
Jellyfish Kahuna Kiwi
Maria Melba Phil
Poseidon Rainman Sakura
Salty Sinkey Sparkles
Stella Stout Tilly
Titan Trace