Kemp’s Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii)

Stranding Location: North Myrtle Beach, SC
Arrival Date: 8/4/24
Age: Juvenile
Sex: Unknown
Weight: 2.68 kg (5.9 lbs)

Case History

Crepe is a juvenile Kemp’s ridley sea turtle who was accidentally hooked by a fisherman at Cherry Grove Fishing Pier. Luckily for Crepe, the fishing hook was not swallowed or embedded in the mouth and fell out after being brought onto the pier. Crepe ended up being transported to the Aquarium for rehabilitation because the fisherman found old monofilament fishing line entangled around Crepe’s body.

Treatment

Upon arrival, Crepe was given a full physical exam to assess the extent of these entanglement wounds. Fortunately, these wounds were fully healed and did not appear to have negatively impacted Crepe internally based on radiographs. If the entangled fishing line had been left around Crepe, this could have led to severe damage over time as Crepe continued to grow larger and the monofilament remained taught.

Due to the stress of being caught and handled, Crepe was admitted to our Sea Turtle Care Center™ and given preliminary treatments with the knowledge that her/his stay with us would be a short one. These treatments included fluids and vitamins to help with any potential dehydration, but Crepe was in excellent body condition and blood work looked great, so there was no need for further treatment.

Following this admit exam, Crepe was placed in a divided tank in the sea turtle hospital, with hooked Kemp’s ridley, Yogurt, as a tankmate.

Updates

August 14, 2024: Following Crepe’s admit, we knew s/he would not need to be with us for very long, but we were able to safely shelter Crepe through Tropical Storm Debby. Once the storm had passed, we worked with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to tag Crepe for a quick return back to the ocean!

August 20, 2024: Crepe was quietly released alongside five other Kemp’s ridley sea turtles at Folly Beach County Park! We are ecstatic to see that Crepe was healthy enough to return home. Wish her/him the best of luck out in the big blue!