Quiddick air-swims during physical exam

Kemp’s ridley called Kiwi out for inspection

Weight gain for past Kemp’s ridleys and green sea turtle campers, at stranding and at release

Kiwi flipper x-ray showing damaged humerus (forearm) lesion (red arrows) and erosion of the bone subsequent to infection. Red line indicates where humerus should extend. Kiwi may never play tennis again, but other sea turtles with similar lesions have healed, with functional, fiberous scar tissue filling in the defect.

Need a little R&R after your hypothermic trauma? Not quite ready to slip back into the Gulf Stream of things? For cold-stunned sea turtles, there’s no place like the NEFSC Woods Hole Science Aquarium (WHSA) Turtle Camp for putting on a little weight, strengthening those lungs, and resting up for release in warmer Cape Cod waters in the late summer.

by Teri Frady

“These guys don’t need to be in the hospital, but the water is too cold to release them now, and they can stand to gain a little strength before returned to the ocean anyway,” says Dr. Bridget Dunnigan of the two sea turtles presently under her care. Dunnigan is one of two veterinary medical officers at the WHSA. Dr. Rogers Williams rounds out the medical team. The professional staff at the WHSA is small, so everyone gets a chance to lend a hand with turtle care.

Almost every year, some sea turtles stay near Cape Cod into the fall. Sometimes, they get caught in a cold snap, become “cold-stunned,” or hypothermic, and drift ashore. Cold-stunning is so consistent on lower Cape Cod beaches that the Wellfleet Audubon Society has established regular turtle patrol during the fall. Society staff and volunteers scour the beaches looking for stranded turtles. Rescued turtles are transferred to the New England Aquarium (NEA) in Boston, were they are slowly warmed, given a medical evaluation, and treated for the numerous complications of hypothermia.

Once stable, NEA frees up its hospital space by sending rehabbing sea turtle elsewhere for proper care until late summer, when they can be released. Thus, “Turtle Camp” was born at the WHSA some three years ago. To date, the Woods Hole Aquarium has helped to rehabilitate and release seven Kemp’s ridley, three green, and two loggerhead sea turtles. Kemp’s ridley and loggerhead sea turtles are listed as endangered and green sea turtles as endangered/ threatened, under the federal Endangered Species Act. “We’re proud to be a part of the team effort to rescue these rare animals and get them back into the wild,” said Dunnigan.

On a cold day back in February, a local resident brought a green sea turtle to the veterinary clinic on Martha’s Vineyard where Dunnigan works as a private practitioner. She started “turtle first aid” and got it transferred to New England Aquarium for medical care. “I knew it would eventually get a name, so I asked NEA to call it ‘Quiddick.’ I’ve simply treated too many animals named Chappy,” said Dunnigan.

Quiddick is the first cold-stunned sea turtle to be rescued on the Vineyard. After a time in Boston, it was sent back to WHSA for final rehab pending release. “Quiddick is eating very well, gaining weight. We’re administering daily calcium and Vitamin B supplements, but it’s off all medications,” said Dunnigan.

On May 6, a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle known as Kiwi arrived at Camp. Kiwi stranded in November on Dennis Beach, had a swelling of the left front flipper and also had a hard time moving the flipper. Radiographs showed a bone lesion and possible infection, so Kiwi was started on medications. “Kiwi has really improved, and we’ve been able to stop the medications,” said Dunnigan. “We’ll keep up the antibiotic therapy and make sure Kiwi is healed before release,” she said.