Ryder

Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempiis)

Stranding Location: Ryder Beach, Truro, MAArrival Date: 11/20/2014Age: JuvenileWeight: 2.2 kg (~5 lb.)

Case History

Ryder 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

This young ridley was the 22nd turtle found cold-stunned on November 15th in Massachusetts. Although his core temperature was only 52°F upon admission to NEAq, Ryder was able to swim almost immediately and was alert and breathing well. However, the NEAq triage team started this turtle on antibiotics as blood work showed an elevated white blood cell count and this ridley was suffering from severe frostbite resulting in dermal lesions. Of the 15 turtles transferred to the SCA on the 20th, Ryder’s frostbite was by far the most severe. The skin of the front flippers and neck was very necrotic and peeling, and our team will be treating these sensitive tissues with antibiotic ointments for the foreseeable future to prevent infection and aid healing.

Release Date

March 5, 2015

Release Location

Cape Canaveral National Seashore