This turtle, weakened by injuries and pierced by fishhooks, had been worked to the shore by rescuers after being snagged by an angler on the park’s fishing pier. It would have to endure some time on the beach and a long ride to Mississippi before treatment to save it could even start.
Fortunately for this animal, a rescue network was working exactly the way its designers had hoped.
An injured loggerhead sea turtle brought ashore at Gulf State Park’s fishing pier awaits transport to the Mississippi Aquarium for treatment of its injuries.Courtesy of Farren Dell
“We were able to identify the turtle because of the very evident injury on her back shell, her carapace,” said Dell.
A loggerhead sea turtle rescued at Gulf State Park was suffering from serious damage to its carapace, probably caused by a boat strike.Courtesy of Farren Dell
Dell, pier manager Aubrey Bianco and and assistant naturalist Cory Powell worked to make the turtle as comfortable as possible. There was a crowd of onlookers eager to help, Dell said.
“From there, our job was really to create as stress-free an environment as possible,” she said. “There were a lot of people around. We needed to make sure the public stayed back and that it was pretty quiet.”
An injured loggerhead sea turtle brought ashore at Gulf State Park awaits the beginning of treatment, a hook still visible on the side of its head. While it’s not unusual for barnacles to attach to turtles, excessive buildup can indicate that an animal has been weak and moving slowly for a while.Courtesy of Farren Dell
Dr. Sean Perry of the Mississippi Aquarium determines the heart rate of an injured loggerhead sea turtle using a portable ultrasound (Vet IQ+) unit.Courtesy of Farren Dell
She said a “Share the Beach” campaign backed by the Alabama Coastal Foundation has helped improve public awareness in recent years, making people better informed about the way human activity can harm sea turtles. They’re particularly vulnerable in that they lay their eggs on shore, and newly hatched turtles much crawl to the water. Dell said that as the pier’s new manager, Bianco has made it a priority to promote public awareness of such issues.
An injured loggerhead sea turtle brought ashore at Gulf State Park in Alabama is examined at the Mississippi Aquarium, where its injuries will be treated.Courtesy of the Mississippi Aquarium
“I would anticipate many months, maybe a year,” said Delaune. “We’ll do what we can to help her.”