The Turtle Hospital at Marathonl!
20 March 2023
Judith Zellmer | Sunny, windy, 58 freaking degrees but no rain!
This turtle hospital first opened in 1986 and has become the largest sea turtle hospital in the United States. They rehabilitate injured sea turtles with the goal of releasing them back to their natural habitat, educate the public, conduct research and lobby for environmental legislation in order to make beaches and water safe for sea turtles.
There are seven types of sea turtles, all of which are endangered, and five of which are found within the Gulf of Mexico. Can you name them all?
It takes 20 years before a female is mature enough that she can produce eggs, and will return to her place of hatching to again lay eggs, guided by her instinct. Only one in 1,000 hatched turtles will survive in the wild.
Sea turtles are found all over the world, but one sea turtle, the Leatherback, is the largest sea turtle species, and can weigh up to 2,000 pounds or more ... literally the size of a Volkswagon Beetle. Leatherbacks lay their eggs in only one place on earth. Can you guess where? Here's a hint: Judy and Ron worked with a sea turtle research team there, and Judy was allowed crawl under a 1,500 pound momma to reach down into the hole to catch and count the eggs. Trust me, I watched her back flipper like a hawk because it weighed 70 pounds or more and had the strength of ... well I didn't want to find out.
Female sea turtles are driven by instinct to return to their place of hatching, and upon arrival are exhausted. It takes much effort to climb up onto the sandy beaches, dig their hole for the nest and then bury the eggs. Some say they actually go into a 'trance' but in realty they are just so exhausted they don't care what is going on around them, they just want to get the job done and get back to the water.
Should you come upon a female turtle laying her eggs, do not shine white or bright light upon them. Use red light in order not to blind or disorient them. Likewise, if you live on the waterfront, turn your lights off at night or install turtle glass so that you do not disorient the turtles.
This past winter 22 endangered sea turtles who were suffering from cold stunning were taken in and cared for at the Marathon Turtle Hospital, and once healthy released back into the environment.
A turtle shell is made from keratin, the same substance as our fingernails and hair, except for one, the Leatherback. The Leatherback shell contracts and expands to compensate for the pressure of deep diving to get to the jelly fish it feeds on.
While a turtle shell may look and feel hard, its actually very fragile. If you were to look inside the shell, you would see a spine or vertebrae running down the center, which houses nerves and blood veins and connects to other organs. It actually doesn't take a very hard impact to cause damage and injury to a turtle shell.
One of the common problems sea turtles face is known as "bubble butt" syndrome. When a turtle is impacted from say a boat strike, it can cause gas or air bubbles to be released into the shell. This bubble is not reabsorbed, but will stay under the shell for the turtle's life, and can cause the turtle to float. When a turtle cannot submerge, it cannot eat. Likewise, when a turtle cannot surface it cannot breath.
Unfortunately bubble butt cannot be 'healed' since the turtle is too fragile to perform any type of surgery to release the gas. To treat this condition, the hospital places small round weights on the turtle's back in order to level him out. This allows him to go up and down as needed. As the shell grows, the platelets on the outside of the shell are shed, and new weights must be added. For this reason, turtles with this condition may not be released back into the ocean, but rather will remain at the Turtle Hospital until a suitable rehoming with a zoo or other facility can take place.
Interestingly, turtles can survive just fine with one missing flipper, or one eye. Just like humans, they learn to compensate.
The hospital permanently houses 45 turtles, twelve of which serve as blood donors. Their blood is a very specific type only useful for turtles, and these turtles serve as donor heroes for ailing turtles all over the world.
Another common problem that affects more than 50% of all turtles, and particularly green turtles, is fibropapillomatosis, which is similar to HPV found in humans. Their research has isolated the virus and proven it is transmissible, and with this knowledge they feel they are very close to a cure.
Fibropapillomatosis presents as bumpy tumors along the soft tissue and inside the organs of the turtles. While surgeries can be performed to remove those that are on the outside surfaces of the turtles, it is a long process that can take a year or more in order not to stress the turtle. Those tumors found within the turtle cannot be removed as they are too fragile.
Pictures of turtles with both bubble butt syndrome and fibropapillomatosis are in the album if you'd like to check it out.
Intestinal blockages or impactions occur when turtles eat things humans carelessly dispose of, or fail to secure in their boat or onshore trash, such as plastic bottles or bags, balloons, fishing line, etc.
Fishing line and crab/lobster trap lines also cause entanglements that can damage or kill the turtles. Crab and lobster fishermen identify their traps by using uniform colored balls placed in a line or row. If you spot a crab/lobster ball of a non-uniform color to the rest of the line, or a ball off on its own, you may want check it out to be sure it is not an entangled turtle. Do not disturb or take a trap or its contents. If you do discover an entangled turtle, call the Coast Guard or FWC for assistance.
Have you ever hooked a turtle while fishing? Ever wonder what to do about it? We were told never try to remove the hook as you can injure the turtle. Don't leave the hook in the turtle to rust. Also, never cut the line as they can become entangled. So what do you do? Carefully follow the turtle so you don't lose them and call FWC or the Coast Guard to report the situation. They will send someone to gather the turtle and arrange transport to the hospital for proper removal and once the turtle is nursed back to health release them.
Calling FWC or the Coast Guard for assistance with an injured turtle will not cost you anything. And, if your turtle is rehabilitated and released, you will get the honor of naming the turtle!
It costs $30.00 per turtle per day to support The Turtle Hospital at Marathon. If you love turtles like we do, and want to help, there are several ways you can do so. Their giftshop sells some very nice merchandise and the proceeds help support the great work they do for the turtles. You can even adopt a turtle. Visit their website to find out more.
http://theturtlehospital.org