Kemp’s Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii)
Stranding Location: North Myrtle Beach, SC
Arrival Date: 7/7/24
Age: Juvenile
Sex: Unknown
Weight: 5.42 kg (11.95 lbs)
Case History
The fishing piers on the weekend of the Fourth of July were quite busy, as Flapjack was our third accidentally-hooked turtle admitted within 24 hours! Flapjack was caught by a fisherman on the Cherry Grove Fishing Pier, and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources transported this patient to the Aquarium in great time!
Treatment
Flapjack was alert and arrived with some fishing line attached to the hook hanging out of the mouth, making its location a bit easier to trace. We took radiographs to confirm the location of the hook in the esophagus, and also discovered that Flapjack had quite a lot of crab parts remaining in her/his gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Our physical examination found that Flapjack was missing a nail on each rear flipper and had a large, superficial lesion under the neck but was in good body condition overall. We drew blood and concluded that although Flapjack was mildly dehydrated and a bit stressed, most of the vital values were within normal limits. Based on these preliminary exams, we decided to move forward and sedate Flapjack for hook removal. Once Flapjack was sedated and relaxed, we removed the J-hook fairly quickly from the esophagus. We gave Flapjack fluids and vitamins for the dehydration and antibiotics to treat and prevent infections in the wounded area on the underside of the neck. Before long, Flapjack woke up from sedation and was approved to be swim-tested in water shortly after.
Flapjack proved to be a strong swimmer and took full, consistent breaths in a half a tank of water. After a long day, s/he quickly settled in to rest for the night. We hope Flapjack will be feeling “batter” soon!
Updates
July 11, 2024: We gave Flapjack pain medication for a couple of days to soothe soreness in the esophagus following the hook removal. We expected that Flapjack may not have interest in food for about a week due to the soreness, in which case we would supplement her/his diet with fluids and electrolytes to keep her/him hydrated. Luckily, Flapjack regained an appetite and started eating quickly and consistently. S/he has been approved for tank water depth increases and will be on the “flip side” to recovery very soon!
August 15, 2024: Stop by and visit Flapjack, who’s now in Zucker Family Sea Turtle Recovery™! Though a bit of a picky eater, Flapjack is on her/his way to a full recovery. With just a little more weight gain, this large juvenile Kemp’s ridley will be back home in the great blue soon!
August 20, 2024: Flapjack was quietly released alongside five other Kemp’s ridley sea turtles at Folly Beach County Park! We are ecstatic to see that Flapjack was healthy enough to return home. Wish her/him the best of luck out in the big blue!