Released Animals

Philly is a juvenile, green sea turtle who was found stranded in a ditch near the Steinhatchee River in Dixie county on Nov. 30. This area experienced extreme flooding during Hurricane Helene, and now that the waters have receded, many marine animals are now trapped in this area. Philly is in good body condition and has a minor case of fibropapilloma. We are hopeful for a quick turnaround!

Baldwin is a subadult, kemp’s ridley who was found entangled in fishing line affecting both front flippers and additionally ingested the fishing line. Due to the severity of the entanglement, Baldwin’s left front flipper was barely attached to the body still. Our veterinarian quickly amputated the left front flipper and applied wound care at intake. Sea turtles are still releasable with missing one front flipper. It is extremely important to dispose of your fishing line appropriately as it can affect wildlife in a variety of ways! Over the next few days, we will be conducting wound care and performing more diagnostics regarding the ingested fishing line.

Austin is a large, juvenile green sea turtle who was found floating near the Gandy bridge in Hillsborough county. Austin is missing their right rear flipper and has a partial amputation to the left rear flipper. They also have deformities to their caudal carapace, all are healed and from a previous traumatic event. Our team will be performing diagnostics over the next few days to help determine the cause of their buoyancy issues.

Chicago is a juvenile, green sea turtle who was found offshore near Taylor county entangled in fishing line and additionally ingested the line offshore. There was a small hook that was attached to the fishing line that was embedded in tissue of the left front flipper. They have a minor case of fibropapilloma tumors and are otherwise in great body condition. An endoscopy was performed to help visualize the fishing line, and our vet team was able to remove the line during the endoscopy! We are hopeful for a quick turnaround!

Topaz is a large, subadult Kemp’s ridley, who was found entangled in fishing line near Fort Desoto on June 4. The fisherman who found Topaz reported that they were struggling to surface. Upon the rescue, it was observed that the fishing line was attached to a large crab trap that was pulling Topaz underwater, increasing their risk of drowning. Topaz has a ligature injury on their right front flipper from the entanglement but is otherwise in good body condition.

Jasper is a juvenile, kemp’s ridley who was caught by a fisherman in Cedar Key on May 7th. The hook was embedded in a small amount of tissue on their right front flipper. This hook was removed easily by our staff veterinarian. Our team also took radiographs to confirm no additional hooks were ingested. We are hopeful for a quick turnaround!

Opal is a juvenile, green sea turtle who was found floating with issues staying submerged in New Port Richey on May 7th. Opal has a good body condition and minimal fibropapilloma tumors present. Our team will be performing diagnostics over the next few days to help determine the cause of their buoyancy issue. Opal’s initial treatment plan consists of fluids and vitamins.