Former Patients

On November 27, 2017, a juvenile Kemp’s ridley was found stranded on a beach in Truro, Massachusetts due to cold body temperature.

On March 3, 2018, an FWC officer responded to a call concerning a juvenile Kemp’s ridley with about a foot of fishing line hanging from its mouth. The sea turtle was brought to Clearwater Marine Aquarium and the vet team took radiographs to determine if there was a hook at the other end of the fishing line.

On February 17, 2018, a juvenile green sea turtle was caught at Skyway Bridge Fishing Pier and brought to Clearwater Marine Aquarium as a hook ingestion case. Upon arrival, our vet team took radiographs to get a better idea of how big the hook was and exactly where in the esophagus it was located.

On January 5, 2018, a juvenile green sea turtle was found floating off the sea wall at Clearwater Marine Aquarium. Upon retrieval and initial examination, it appeared the sea turtle had several healing boat strike wounds along with tumors of varying sizes located in all quadrants.

On January 7, 2018, a juvenile green sea turtle was found stranded near Bellaire Beach. Later named Juliet, the sea turtle was hypothermic and exhibited the fibropapilloma virus. Juliet had paps located on her left front flipper and smaller ones in other quadrants. She was placed in a rehabilitation pool once warmed up where she waited for her pap removal surgery.

On January 6, 2018, a juvenile green sea turtle was found stranded on Hernando beach in Hernando, Florida. It was brought to Clearwater Marine Aquarium for triage and an appropriate treatment. Upon closer examination, it was revealed that Zodiac was hypothermic and had fibropapilloma tumors located in the cranial quadrants. The vet team decided Zodiac was a good candidate for pap removal surgery as soon as his iron levels increased.

On January 7, 2018, a juvenile green sea turtle was found floating at Hudson Beach in Pasco County, FL with suspected fibropapilloma tumors present.

On January 8, 2018, a juvenile green sea turtle was found floating in the Clearwater Municipal Marina in Pinellas County with suspected fibropapilloma tumors and missing its right front flipper.

On December 17, a juvenile green turtle was found floating at the surface of the water, with a few small fibropapilloma tumors on its flippers. Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s Rescue Team was called in to collect the turtle and bring it back to CMA for immediate triage and care.

On December 2, 2017, a fisherman found two turtles – Snapdragon and Thistle – entangled together in monofilament line in the water, both with fibropapilloma tumors. He collected both turtles and called the Clearwater Marine Aquarium stranding line. Rescue personnel from the aquarium met the fisherman and brought the turtles back to the aquarium for triage and care.