Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii)

Stranding Location: Dukes County, MAArrival Date: 11/20/2014Age: JuvenileWeight: 3.5 kg (~8 lb.)

Case History

Dorminy is one of fifteen sea turtles transferred from the New England Aquarium (NEAq) to the South Carolina Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital on November 20, 2014. This Kemp’s ridley was one of more than a thousand sea turtles afflicted with severe hypothermia and recovered (alive or dead) from the beaches and nearshore waters of Massachusetts during an unprecedented cold-stunning event in late November 2014. Thanks to the generosity of a private flight donated by Margie and Will Dorminy, owners of Southern Eagle Distributing in Charleston, we are proud to be one of more than 17 facilities nationwide to aid NEAq in caring for the massive number of threatened and endangered sea turtles stranded due to this cold-stunning event.

Treatment

Named in honor of the donors who enabled 31 sea turtles to be efficiently transferred via private jet from Massachusetts to South Carolina (15 turtles) and Georgia (16 turtles), this young ridley is the largest of the 15 sea turtles we received on the 20th. Dorminy initially stranded on November 3rd, prior to the large influx of patients in mid- to late-November. NEAq’s admission exam noted a slight cloudiness to the left eye but, luckily, both eyes were clear by the time Dorminy arrived at the SCA’s Sea Turtle Hospital. This ridley was a bit thin upon admission and is currently being treated for mild dermatitis and minor trauma to the flippers and plastron. Otherwise, prognosis is good.

Release Date

February 10, 2015

Release Location

Cape Canaveral National Seashore