Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas)

Stranding Location: Myrtle Beach State Park Pier, SC
Arrival Date: 5/27/2019
Age: Juvenile
Weight:2.0 kgs (4.4 pounds)

Case History

Scar was accidentally hooked at the Myrtle Beach State Park Pier. Thankfully, a fisherman pulled him up using a dip net as the hook appeared to be in the right eye. Though Scar was in good body condition and was very active, park rangers did not want to remove it given the difficult location of the hook. Volunteer transporter Linda Mataya of the North Myrtle Beach Sea Turtle Patrol team quickly transported this little green to the South Carolina Aquarium for hook removal!

Treatment

Upon admit, Scar was very bright and active. Dr. Shane quickly assessed the hook location, took radiographs and pulled blood for a blood panel. Based on radiographs, the hook appeared to be only in the eyelid and not the actual eye itself. Light sedation was administered and Dr. Shane was able to remove the hook quickly. Once removed, the eye was stained to see if there were any abrasions on the surface of the eye from the hook rubbing against it. Thankfully, everything looked clear. Scar was given fluids, vitamins, started on injectable antibiotics to prevent infection and ophthalmic drops as well. By the end of the day, Scar was in a tank, actively swimming around.

Update

June 1: Scar has been doing well since his admit a few days ago. The mild swelling in his right eye has decreased, and he is eating and pooping up a storm. Scar has a few weeks on injectable antibiotics and few more days with eye drops.

June 15, 2019: Scar’s right eyelid has healed up incredibly well! Scar still has a few more doses of injectable antibiotics left. We moved Scar up into a tank in the hospital, so come “sea” this cute little next time you visit us.

July 1, 2019: Great news for Scar: this little green finished his antibiotics and was pulled to be tagged and evaluated for release! As long as his bloodwork looks good, Scar should be on the fast track to go back into the big blue! When a green sea turtle is ready for release, we choose release locations in the saltmarsh, away from high boat traffic areas. We want to give them the highest chance of survival once they are released.