Kingsbury

Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii)

Stranding Location: Kingsbury Beach, Eastham, MAArrival Date: 11/20/2014Age: JuvenileWeight: 1.5 kg (~3 lb.)

Case History

Kingsbury 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

Kingsbury, the smallest of the Kemp’s ridleys transferred here from NEAq, initially stranded November 15th with a core body temperature of only 47° Fahrenheit. Seaweed covered the left side of his head and massive hydroids had colonized the back half of his shell. Although the NEAq team noted a bilateral opacity of both corneas after stranding, Kingsbury’s eyes were clear upon admittance to our turtle hospital on the 20th. This ridley was in relatively decent shape upon arrival to South Carolina with the exception of his lungs, which show early signs of pneumonia. Our treatments here, which include two different antibiotics, will address Kingsbury’s pneumonia, thinness, and mild dermatitis.

Release Date

July 15, 2015

Release Location

Isle of Palms, SC