Sea Turtle Hospital News

Swim Test

If you're a sea turtle the most important skill you can have is to be able to swim - to swim really, really well. And if you're born on Topsail Island you'd better be flexing your flippers as soon as you dig your way out of the sand, because you've got to paddle like mad to the Gulf Stream about 40 miles or so off shore. But just how many flippers do you really need to make your way in life?

Over the years we've rescued, rehabilitated and released quite a few amputees. When they're healed and chubby we return them to the sea and watch closely as they swim off, hoping that their learning curve in negotiating the tides and currents is brief, and successful.

But sometimes when your patient is missing a flipper, or two, you're just not sure they're strong enough or resilient enough to be able to survive out there. They've been confined to a small tank (four to five feet) during their recuperation, and if you're a good sized loggerhead that leaves very little room to do anything but swim in tight circles all day. To really put them to the test we transported three of our more seriously injured patients to the 6500-gallon tank at Ft. Fisher Aquarium.

Once there, Jersey (a small Kemp's), Bradley and Canal (both Loggerheads) drew straws to see who would go first. Jersey won, and was excited but cooperative as her bright blue harness was snugly fitted around her body. Two aquarists then clipped on a safety rope and stood in the middle of the tank. The harness and rope served several purposes: it could assist her in maintaining her balance and direction, if necessary, and it was an easy way to retrieve her once her test was completed. After a short self-orientation to her new boundaries (her tank "at home" is a different color) she began bumping her way around the edge as she hugged the wall. It didn't take her long to find and become entranced by a waterfall from the flowing pipes, and she spent several minutes cavorting under it. After working up an appetite, since we had withheld her breakfast, she began diving towards the bottom looking for food. That was all we needed to see. She proved to us that a missing right front flipper was not going to stop her from being released.

Next up was Canal, the turtle we were most worried about. She was admitted late last summer after a vicious shark attack, sans two flippers and good portion of her right rear carapace. As luck (if you can call almost being a shark's dinner luck) would have it the missing flippers were on opposing sides, front and back. And there were still some stubs left that appeared to be working just fine in the hospital environment. But was that enough to give her a good shot at survival? This time a large green harness encased our very eager turtle, and she shot out of our hospital volunteer's arms like a cannonball. She raced from one end of the tank to the other, looking for the way out. She literally swam circles around the aquarists, never once becoming alarmed at their presence or venturing close enough to investigate them. She had only one thing on her mind: freedom! After her 15 minutes of fame she was reeled in. We gave her the good news first: she passed her test. The bad news was she'd have to wait a few more months until she saw that much water in front of her again.

Last but certainly not least was Bradley, a good sized Loggerhead now totally recovered from a boat strike that took one flipper and left another hanging by a thread. He also suffered a horrific cut to his neck that was so big and deep you could reach in and grab his tonsils. The green harness was in place and Bradley was lifted over the edge and into the tank. A little more deliberate than Canal, he cruised around the tank at a more leisurely pace, popping his head up when he recognized one of the hospital volunteers, begging for food. He missed his breakfast, too, and we refused his request to stop at the Krispy Kreme on the way down. (Oops - that was our request!) After checking out the bottom of the tank for any crabs or other goodies he decided to just live in the moment and enjoy his playpen for as long as we'd let him. He, too, got the stamp of approval from Miss Jean.

This is the second time the great folks at the Ft. Fisher Aquarium have offered us their tank as a turtle testing ground. We appreciate their kindness in the sharing of their facilities, and we know that the three turtles that visited last week are grateful for the chance to prove to us that they are ready for release back to Mother Ocean.

Thanks!

Terry Meyer, our Director of Beach Operations reports that the training sessions for new Topsail Turtle Project volunteers were very well attended. She and her area coordinators were able to fill all the open areas of beach well ahead of the May 1 beginning of nesting season. We really appreciate your response. Welcome to our wonderful world of sea turtles. If you have any questions about the project contact Terry at: 910-470-2880.

Hospital closed until June

You can visit our turtles on-line at: www.seaturtlehospital.org.

Questions or Comments about this column?

Contact me at: flippers@embarqmail.com

Karen Sota is the volunteer media coordinator for the Sea Turtle Hospital in Topsail Beach.