The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center news and photos of the recent turtle release. Sea Turtle Hospital News We know when they come in that they’re not ours to keep, but that doesn’t make saying good-bye any easier. On September 9th we released eight healthy, rehabilitated sea turtles back to Mother Ocean. The lucky group included two juvenile Loggerheads (Dane and Scottie), one Kemp’s Ridley (Thing 1) and five small Greens (Jib, Lil’ Louisiana, Orleans, Crush and Jetty.) Jib was held back from graduating with his class two years ago when he developed a problem in his front flipper. After spending every day in our therapy pool working against the currents he showed a remarkable improvement in his range of motion and finally got the stamp of approval from our vet, Dr. Craig Harms of the College of Veterinary Medicine at NC State and Jean. Scottie was also with us for a few years. What initially looked like a rather insignificant wound on his plastron (belly) grew into a strange-looking cavity. We were never able to figure out what caused the trauma but it took two years of treatment for the hole to scar over and close. Whatever he ran into we hope he doesn’t do it again! The others were relative short-timers at the hospital but that doesn’t mean we’ll miss them any less. “Lil’ Lou,” as we called her, was on our tour all summer and built up quite a fan club with her willingness to pose for pictures and her comical routines in her tank. Many of her adoptive parents were thrilled to be there for her release. A crowd of several hundred greeted our turtles as they were slowly carried down to the surf. After posing and waving flippers for the visitors the smaller ones were walked out past the first few breakers before jetting off quickly through the waves. Dane and Scottie were hauled down close to the surf in “turtle snuggies,” heavy yellow vinyl contraptions that swaddle the turtles and keep them, and our volunteers safe during transport. Scottie took a quick look around and headed to the water, where he snagged almost immediately on a sand bar that ran parallel to the beach. The channel was deep enough for him to keep swimming along the beach, trying to stay ahead of some of our faster volunteers who were scrambling to catch up with him and redirect him into deeper water. With a little help from “his people” Scottie was freed, but he left behind a plethora of cuts and bruises on his rescuers. When Dane was un-trussed she decided that a short nap was in order before taking on the waves. It was comical to see a turtle just chill out, in no hurry to go anywhere. These critters sense the ocean way before we get there and always become excited. Eventually, with much encouragement from her rescue dad, Dane Vertelay and the crowd Dane the turtle made her move, and promptly ran into the same stinkin’ sandbar as Scottie! This time we were ready and quickly turned him into the waves before he decided that it might be a good place for another nap! The gang of eight left a little hole in our hearts and a lot of empty tanks in our hospital. But those tanks will soon be filled with patients in our ICU who are nearing the end of their quarantine time and will be relocated to the “big house,” Sea Turtle Bay. Unfortunately, it looks as if there will never be a shortage of sea turtles who need our help. Fall tour schedule We’re now on our off-season tour schedule through the end of the year. We will be open only on Thursdays and Saturdays from 1 – 3 PM. We will not be open on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, but we will be open on the Friday after Thanksgiving. General admission: $5; Seniors and Military: $4; Children $3. We are located at 302 Tortuga Lane, (Mainland) Surf City. Take the turn from Rts. 50/210 onto Charlie Medlin Drive (Shipwreck Point Mini Golf is your landmark for this road.) Follow the road onto the gravel section and through the round-about. We are the only building on Tortuga. Google Maps are now showing the correct address but any sort of GPS system will not. Just remember that we are on the mainland now, not on the island. And a word of advice: if you park on the side of the road beware of the drop-off into the ditches, and that sand is softer than it looks! We’re expecting our winter duds, long-sleeved T’s, hoodies and regular sweatshirts, and other holiday items to be arriving shortly. Gather those sizes for your next visit to the hospital and get in some early holiday shopping. We’ll also be reprising some of the special holiday packages that were so popular last fall, and we’ll have a whole new slate of turtles up for adoption. Hatchlings up and down the beach We’ve officially ended the nesting season here on Topsail so now it’s all about hatchlings. Hatches will continue through October, but honestly, we can’t tell you where or when a nest will hatch. We just don’t know. If you see our volunteers sitting near a marked nest any time after dusk it’s possible that those critters are ready to make their appearance and start their long journey in the sea, where they’ll spend the rest of their lives. If you miss a hatch you may be able to catch a nest analysis which takes place generally three days later. Our volunteers often unearth a few late-risers that didn’t hear the alarm so this may be your chance to see a hatchling or two. We continue to rely heavily on our locals and visitors to report any sighting of nesting turtles, hatching nests and any turtles in distress. Please report all local sea turtle activity to our Director of Beach Operations, Terry Meyer at: 910-470-2880. If unable to reach her you may also contact our Director, Jean Beasley at: 910-470-2800. The state of NC also has a hotline for strandings (injured or sick turtles): 252-241-7367 and the call will be picked up 24/7. Questions, comments, suggestions?? Please direct any questions, comments or suggestions re: this column to me at: [email protected]. This column will now move to the off-season schedule of every other week. To be added to the newsletter list e-mail me at the same address: [email protected].
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 15:18:19 +0000
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