For two weeks SeaWorld aquarists and veterinarians provided care for the reptilian refugees – nine altogether – since their arrival from the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS) in Gulfport, Miss. where they were treated for injuries related to fishing hooks and lines. Four of the turtles remain at the park’s Animal Rehabilitation Center for further treatment before they are released.

The animals came to SeaWorld because the IMMS staff needed to make room for the possible arrival of animals in need of treatment due to the oil spill. SeaWorld is one of the few organizations with the expertise to tend to the special needs of Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles. They are solitary animals and do not interact with each other and other turtle species. This made their trek to SeaWorld imperative as park aquarists set up a triage area to accommodate the new patients.

The release was a joint effort between SeaWorld Orlando, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.

SeaWorld is a global leader in the rescue and rehabilitation of sea turtles. The park’s Animal Rescue & Rehabilitation Team in on call 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.

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Photo courtesy of SeaWorld

Caring for SeaWorld’s 303rd endangered turtle patient this year is no small task for park aquarists. The recently rescued reptile is a three-foot, 270-pound loggerhead, found in the waters of San Carlos Bay near Ft. Meyers, Fla. on May 6.

The large male was seen floating to one side for several days. Emaciated and covered in barnacles, his condition was most likely caused by ingesting a foreign object.

Immediately upon his arrival at SeaWorld’s Animal Rehabilitation Center, aquarists began removing the barnacles and treating him with antibiotics. Veterinarians performed x-rays in search of internal injuries. The animal has begun to eat on his own as the Animal Rescue Team hopes to eventually return him back to San Carlos Bay.

SeaWorld is a global leader in the rescue and rehabilitation of endangered se turtles. This year the park has rescued 304 turtles and released 245. Now through August is loggerhead sea turtle nesting period, a critical time period for the preservation of this species.

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