Keepin' it Wild July - September 2022

SEA TURTLE Hospital:

READY TO RESCUE AND REHABILITATE

Zoo Miami is excited to announce the opening of our brand new Sea Turtle Hospital, our newest conservation effort helping some familiar faces here in our own backyard.

While the official ribbon cutting is set for July 6, 2022, we’ve already begun the work, taking in our first two patients. The first, “Baymax,” was treated for a shark bite and continues to recuperate in the hospital. The second patient was struck by a boat, and unfortunately had to be euthanized to prevent further suffering. Future patients will likely have suffered similar injuries, or they may have become tangled in a fishing line, eaten plastic, or may be cold-stunned.

Sea turtles are a “keystone species” meaning that they play a vital role in the environment and influence other species around them. If a keystone species is removed from a habitat, their ecosystems become disrupted, causing a domino effect on other wildlife and the environment. All sea turtle species are currently considered threatened and endangered. By providing care for injured and ill sea turtles, the new hospital is doing essential work toward protecting and preserving this endangered species.

Sea Turtle Rescue Mission:

The New Hospital Receives its First Patient

On May 22, Zoo Miami received a call from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) that a large female loggerhead turtle had been rescued from the Port St. Lucie Power Plant with a severe wound to its left front flipper, the apparent victim of a shark bite. The turtle, named “Baymax” and weighing in at 388 pounds, was transferred to Zoo Miami’s newly constructed Sea Turtle Hospital, which had recently passed inspection and received its permits to accept sick and injured turtles.

Upon arrival to the Hospital, the reptile was missing most of her left front flipper except for the exposed humerus bone. It also had scars on its shell that indicated it had possibly been struck by a boat and bitten by another shark earlier in its life. Following an exam that included an ultrasound, it was also discovered that she was laden with eggs!

By the end of the month, she had deposited over 100 eggs which were carefully collected so that they could be transported by the Miami-Dade Parks Sea Turtle Conservation Program staff and inserted into a man-made nest for incubation.

Following exams that included blood collection, X-Rays, and an ultrasound, Baymax was prepared for surgery. The ultrasound revealed that she still had dozens of eggs within her and some of them emerged during the procedure. They were carefully placed in a bin of sand to be transported like the others.

The main purpose of the surgery was to remove the exposed damaged bone and treat the amputated limb in a way that would help prevent infection and provide the approximately 50-year-old reptile with a more stable path towards healing. The entire procedure took several hours and was led by Zoo Miami Associate Veterinarian, Dr. Marisa Bezjian and assisted by Zoo Miami Chief Veterinarian, Dr. Gwen Myers.

Thanks to her care at Zoo Miami,

she has received her best chance for survival and we are hopeful that she will overcome those challenges and be back in the wild soon!