Kemp’s Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii)
Stranding Location: Myrtle Beach, SC
Arrival Date: 7/17/24
Age: Juvenile
Sex: Unknown
Weight: 2.01 kg (4.43 lbs)
Case History
Parfait was accidentally hooked by a fisherman on the Myrtle Beach State Park Fishing Pier. Luckily, after catching this juvenile turtle, the fisherman left plenty of line attached to the hook. This is extremely helpful for us, as it provides an exact guide to where the hook is and can be crucial in the hook’s removal. Thank you to the rescuers and to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources permitted volunteers who transported this patient to the Aquarium!
Treatment
Upon admit, we took a radiograph to visualize the position of the hook. Based on this image, it seemed like it might be possible to remove the hook through the mouth, but we needed to make sure that Parfait was stable enough for sedation. Fortunately, Parfait had a strong heart rate and stable bloodwork and was taking frequent breaths, so we sedated her/him and began to remove the hook orally. During this process, we discovered that the hook was fully embedded in the tissue of the mouth right above the esophagus. In these cases, breaking the hook into smaller parts is often the easiest way to remove it with the least amount of damage done to the patient. In Parfait’s case, the hook had to be cut into three smaller pieces, but was successfully removed!
After Parfait woke up, we gave fluids, vitamins, antibiotics and pain medication before placing her/him in a half-full tank of water. Parfait was active and easily swam to the surface to breathe. Later that night, Parfait even defecated for the first time, which was very exciting for us sea turtle biologists!
Updates
July 19, 2024: Since admit, Parfait has been active and swimming well in the tank. Today, s/he even ate food for the first time when offered a couple pieces of salmon and mackerel! This is a great sign that the pain medication is helping relieve any discomfort from the hook injury and that things are healing well. We will continue to offer gradual increases in fish since Parfait has been passing lots of crab shell material, proving that the digestive tract is working properly. We will also gradually increase the tank’s water depth as long as Parfait’s activity level remains strong.
August 15, 2024: Parfait has made great strides this month. This little Kemp’s is eating a full weighted diet, is defecating regularly, and is seemingly enjoying the offered enrichment. This silly patient can sometimes even be spotted taking a nap on the back scratcher enrichment. In fact, Parfait has made so much progress that s/he was tagged this month in preparation for release! Parfait just needs to gain a little more weight, finish up with antibiotics, and if blood work looks good then hopefully, we can get this patient released in the not-so distant future!
September 15, 2024: In the past month, Parfait has gained weight, finished antibiotics and had normal bloodwork results. Because of this, Parfait was successfully released on September 11 and is back out in the big blue! Happy swimming, Parfait!