Kemp’s Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii)
Stranding Location: Folly Beach, SC
Arrival Date: July 4, 2024
Age: Juvenile
Sex: Unknown
Weight: 1.74 kg (3.84 lbs)
Case History
Home Fry is a juvenile Kemp’s ridley that was hooked by a fisherman on the Folly Beach Fishing Pier. This tiny turtle swallowed the fishing hook, so South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) permitted volunteers from the Folly Beach Turtle Watch transported this patient to the Aquarium.
If you ever accidentally catch a sea turtle at the end of your fishing line, leave at least three feet of fishing line to help guide us to the hook for removal! You can prevent the turtle from swallowing the hook further by taping the excess fishing line to their carapace (back shell) for us.
Treatment
Upon arrival, we started by taking a radiograph to visualize the location of the hook. Sadly, the fishing line was cut before pier attendants and SCDNR volunteers could instruct otherwise, so our team did not have the line to guide us to the hook. The radiographs showed a large Kahle hook lodged very far down in the esophagus and close to the stomach. Home Fry’s vitals and bloodwork looked stable, so we sedated Home Fry and attempted to remove the hook through her/his mouth. Despite our best efforts, we were not able to remove the hook orally, so Home Fry received antibiotics, fluids, vitamins and pain medication before being placed in a tank to rest overnight. We scheduled Home Fry’s hook removal surgery for the following day.
Updates
July 5, 2024: Before beginning surgery, we took another radiograph to see if the hook had moved overnight. Luckily, it was in the same location in the esophagus, near the stomach. In order to remove the hook, Home Fry had to be on her/his back and an incision was made on the neck close to the plastron (belly shell). Once an incision was made into the esophagus we were able to expose the inside of the esophagus, which gave us better access to the area hidden by the plastron. We saw a segment of fishing line peek out! Using that short amount of fishing line to guide us, we located the hook shortly after and began to remove it. The hook was incredibly large and the barb had punctured through the esophagus and was stuck. We were able to cut the hook into two pieces and successfully removed both.
If you were visiting the Aquarium on this day, you might have watched this procedure through our surgical suite window! Thank you to all who joined us in cheering for Home Fry and our team after the hook was removed!
After the surgery was finished, we gave Home Fry some more fluids and pain medications and while s/he woke back up from the anesthesia. Later in the day, this patient was placed in a full tank of water to continue recovery.
August 15, 2024: In the days following surgery, staff began to notice Home Fry coughing up tiny blood clots. Home Fry was immediately rushed to CT to determine what was going on. As we mentioned, during surgery the hook was so large that the barb had punctured through the esophagus, and we believe it also nicked Home Fry’s left lung. Based on this same CT, the lung is actively healing and there is no free air in the body cavity which is a promising sign. Home Fry is being kept in a shallow tank now to allow the lung time to heal, and staff is monitoring closely for changes in buoyancy. Otherwise, Home Fry is a model patient that eats well and defecates consistently. Please keep your flippers crossed for Home Fry, this little turtle has a long road to recovery ahead.
September 15, 2024: In the past month, Home Fry has had an additional CT scan and a bronchoscopy. The CT showed slight improvement to the lung, but not as much as we had hoped. Because of this, we proceeded with a bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage. The bronchoscopy involved us passing a scope through the trachea and into the lungs to get a look inside. During this procedure, we were able to obtain a fluid sample to send out for further analysis (bronchoalveolar lavage). We are waiting for those results, so for now Home Fry will stay in shallow water so s/he has quick and easy access to the surface to breathe and can rest comfortably on the bottom without diving too deep. Otherwise, Home Fry is active, eating well and defecating consistently!