 |
| The first rescued turtle of the season, a loggerhead, in the back of an Audubon pickup. She takes up half the pickup bed! |
Hi everyone,
Yesterday we received a BIG surprise from the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. Our First cold-stunned sea turtle of the season has arrived. Typically the first turtles are small ridleys and green sea turtles, so this one was a real shocker.
She is an sub-adult loggerhead sea turtle. She was reported to the Wellfleet Audubon Sanctuary late Sunday evening as a juvenile leatherback that was swimming in a marsh. It was already getting dark and we hoped that the turtle would swim back out on its own. When they found it Monday morning it turned out to be this 175-lb. loggerhead.
When the rescue department arrived in Wellfleet the turtle had a temperature of 54.8F because the bay temperature did not drop below 60F this indicates that the turtle had been exposed to the air temperature possibly over the past couple of nights.
The carapace (top shell) was covered with algae and barnacles. She had low respiratory and heart rates. Her blood work showed some minor abnormalities and she was given subcutaneous fluids to help balance them.
We are hoping this animal will have a short stay, but we will know more after X-rays are done and a complete blood work is returned.
She's a beauty-a one in a million girl.
ReplyDeleteFinding such a large wild creature is surely an amazing experience. Thanks to James Nielsen, Adam Kennedy, Mr. & Mrs. Santos, and the other friendly folk of South Wellfleet who, like me, by Providence are a small part of this turtle's rescue.