Two years ago today, a very special patient arrived at the GSTC. Mahi, a juvenile green, was found in a remote area of the Guana Tolomato Mantanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve . Mahi had ingested and become entangled in fishing line. Dr. Terry Norton, then-veterinary extern Dr. Dana Franzen, and the rehab staff performed emergency surgery to remove the line from the esophagus and amputate the front right flipper. The fishing line was wrapped so tight, blood flow was lost to the flipper and the limb was no longer viable. Within just a few days of the amputation, Mahi proved to be a fighter, and was able to swim and dive in a rehabilitation tank. Wound healing, especially one as severe as Mahis, occurs very slowly in reptiles and Mahi is still a patient at GSTC. Fortunately, everything is healing nicely and we are confident that one day, Mahi will be released back to her ocean home! Mahi has touched not only our staff, AmeriCorps members, and volunteers, but thousands of guests who visit the center, including many school children. To date, Mahi has over 1,000 adoptive parents! (to join Mahis adoptive family, visit this link: shopjekyllisland.myshopify/products/symbolic-adopt-mahi) We hope Mahi inspires you to be an environmental steward, keep track and secure any potential debris items as you enjoy nature, and recycle whenever you can!
Posted on: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 23:00:01 +0000
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