Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii)

Stranding Location: Crowe’s Pasture, Dennis, MA

Arrival Date: 12/05/2012

Age: juvenile

Weight: 2.32 kg (~5 lb.)

Case History

Crowe is one of more than 230 live sea turtles that stranded as part of an unprecedented mass cold-stunning event in Massachusetts during November and December 2012. Thanks to the generosity of multiple donors, including pilots Neil McCann and Gary Davis (also owner of Davis Air, Inc.), 10 of these sea turtles were flown from the New England Aquarium’s (NEAq) Marine Animal Rescue Program to the South Carolina Aquarium on December 5th, 2012. Multiple East Coast facilities have banded together to help the overloaded NEAq by taking transferred sea turtles, and the SCA is proud to be a part of this effort.

Treatment

Blood work taken on arrival to our facility was good (PCV 27, total solids 3.1) and radiographs displayed normal lung fields.

Updates

26 February 2013: Recent blood work revealed Crowe’s iron level is a bit low, so he will receive two iron injections this week. Since January, Crowe has had a bit of minor swelling in the ankle region of his right rear flipper, as well as on the tips of both front flippers. While the front flipper issues are likely the result of transport injuries, we will continue to monitor his right rear flipper for signs of bone lysis, a common problem in cold-stunned ridleys.

Release Date

06/18/2013

Release Location

Beachwalker County Park, Kiawah, SC