Sea Turtle Hospital News
Taking ‘terns
Long ago we had about three or so, and only during the summer. But as our reputation for having one of the best (uncompensated) opportunities for hands-on experience with sea turtles grew so did our stable of interns. Now no matter what time of year it is you can’t turn around without tripping over an intern or a visiting extern. The latest addition to our roster is Wyatt Allen, who graduated from Wake Forest in December with a BS in Biology and minors in Chemistry and Japanese.
Wyatt’s introduction to our hospital came many years ago before our building was constructed. He remembers turtles in outdoor tanks, and lots of visitors in line. Although he never made it back until a few weeks ago his family kept him informed of our progress and work by sending him articles. And his fascination and love of sea turtles (and whales) never diminished. Wyatt says that our winter internship allows him to “live out my childhood dream” while contemplating his next step, work or grad school in Marine Biology.
Photo: Intern Wyatt Allen gives ‘Lefty’ (and his tank) a good scrub. Can you believe he’s just a bit over three years old? Lefty, that is, not Wyatt!
Wyatt views our internship as a chance to get intimately acquainted with marine animals that have a variety of medical challenges, specifically animals that are in rehab with one goal, returning home. He loves all aspects of the work at our hospital, from husbandry to medical treatments. Although he anticipated the long, dirty and smelly days of working with sea turtles he had no idea that “other duties as assigned” would include babysitting our water treatment system. But he’s actually happy for that experience since it’s a transferrable skill for anyone considering making a career out of working with animals that live in water.
The old adage “there’s somebody for everyone” holds true at our hospital, too. Wyatt very quickly found a very favorite patient, a little Green called “Scuter.” Although the baby Greens are pretty darn cute with absolutely stunning patterns on their carapace there’s a bit more to this particular attraction. Since Scuter will one day convert from omnivore to herbivore he gets some lettuce along with his morning meal of squid and fish. But he’s not happy if it’s just floating randomly around his tank. Scuter rustles it up with his flippers and corrals it into a little “salad.” Pass the balsamic, please. Wyatt’s also fallen under the spell of a little Kemp’s called “Snaggle.” Named for his deformed beak, a long-healed injury present when he was admitted Snaggle is just goofy looking enough to be called adorable.
Wyatt arrived just about the same time as our two cold-stun Loggerheads, and is amazed at their rapid progress from frozen to fabulous. It’s hard to describe the amazing capacity these critters have to recover given the proper medical care and lots of TLC. Like Wyatt, you have to just see it happen literally before your eyes to believe it.
Wyatt will be with us for several months while deciding on his next move. He may delay grad school for an opportunity to relocate to Japan to teach English in a more rural area of that country. He was in Japan during the earthquake and tsunami, but says he was far enough away to be out of any real danger. In the meantime he’ll continue working with us during the day (and night) and enjoy playing games in the company of his fellow interns/externs.
Tuesday is shopping day
Don’t forget that our gift shop is open every Tuesday until further notice. Just knock on our hospital door between 9 AM and 11 AM any Tuesday and tell us you’re ready to buy! You’ll be escorted to our gift shop annex for some personal shopping time. Preview some of the items we have available online at our website before you come and remember, we can only accept cash and checks at this time. You can also shop for our logo T’s year-round at QuarterMoon Bookstore in Topsail Beach. Lori has been carrying our shirts for years; flipper hugs, lady. But if you can’t make it to our annex or Lori’s shop please use the online ordering service.
Our website: www.seaturtlehospital.org is open year-round. Stay connected with our patients and the progress of the new hospital. We’re stocked with clothing and other gifts and goodies perfect for turtle lovers. Follow the links to “Adopt-A-Sea-Turtle,” we have some pretty high maintenance patients who need all the financial and moral support you can provide. There’s still time to add your family’s name to our wall of fame with the “Family Giving Challenge.”
Cold-stuns on the mend
The two large juvenile Loggerheads we admitted several weeks ago with unbelievably low body temps are on the road to recovery. “RC” and “SSN NC” are lookin’ good, with very healthy appetites. They’re finishing up their last few rounds of antibiotics, administered to stave off any effects of their ordeal, especially pneumonia. We’re betting that we haven’t seen the last cold-stun come through our doors, especially with the roller coaster temps of this winter. Please continue to keep a lookout for any turtles you see stranded on the beach, in the grasses along the shore and in the water. If it’s not moving don’t assume it is dead. It might be cold stunned, and when rescued in time the prognosis for these critters is excellent.
If you come across a stunned turtle carefully pick it up and place it in a protected but not overly warm area (a garage, car or laundry room would work well.) DO NOT place the turtle in warm water; a sudden change in temperature will send it into shock and possibly kill it. Immediately call the Wildlife Resources Commission’s sea turtle emergency hotline number at: 252-241-7367. Someone is available 24/7 to pick up calls. Locally you can call Terry (see number below) or Jean at: 910-470-2800.
Please report any and all local sea turtle activity (hatchings, strandings, injured or sick turtles) immediately to our Director of Beach Operations, Terry Meyer at 910-470-2880. Terry can be reached at: topsailseaturtle@aol.com for non-emergencies. All sea turtles are federally protected and harassing or harming them in any way will result in hefty fines and/or imprisonment.
Questions, comments, suggestions??
Please direct any questions, comments or suggestions re: this column to me at: flippers@att.net. To be added to the newsletter list e-mail me at the same address: flippers@att.net. The winter newsletter has been sent out, but I’ve had a few non-deliverables. If your e-mail address has recently changed please send me your new one so I can update my master list. You can also access the newsletter from our website.
