Sea Turtle Rescued On Cape Cod Recovering Well After Surgery

BREWSTER, MA — An endangered sea turtle that was rescued on Cape Cod after ingesting a 7-foot-long balloon ribbon is making a strong recovery, New England Aquarium officials said Wednesday.

Aquarium officials said the sea turtle was found cold-stunned on Ellis Beach in Brewster on Nov. 30, 2021.

The turtle ingested a long balloon ribbon that extended from outside its beak, through its digestive tract, and out its rear. Aquarium officials said part of the balloon was still attached to the end of the ribbon and already passed through the turtle's gastrointestinal tract.

Bob Prescott, who oversees Wellfleet Bay’s sea turtle rescue program, originally thought the balloon ribbon had washed ashore with the turtle when he found it in tidal debris.

"Once I picked it up, I knew this turtle had big problems besides being cold-stunned," Prescott said in a news release. "Having previously necropsied two Kemp’s ridleys that had ingested balloons with ribbons, things can be very complicated internally. It is a great credit to the Aquarium’s triage and veterinary staff that this turtle survived."

Wildlife rescuers rushed the turtle to the New England Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital in Quincy, where it underwent a medical exam. Aquarium officials said the turtle was hypothermic, dehydrated and anemic upon arrival.

Ribbon or string is particularly dangerous for animals because it can cause bunching of the intestine, wildlife experts said. As the tension of the ribbon increases, it can begin to cut through the intestinal wall, causing severe damage, infection and even death.

"We knew that this turtle would require surgery to remove the ribbon, but we had to stabilize it for several days before it was strong enough to tolerate general anesthesia," said Dr. Charles Innis, the director of animal health at the New England Aquarium.

Staff treated the turtle with fluids, antibiotics and nutritional support. On Dec. 8, aquarium veterinarians Drs. Melissa Joblon and Kathy Tuxbury operated on the turtle, performing an incision into the intestine to remove the ribbon, which measured more than 7 feet long.

Fortunately, the intestine had not yet been severely damaged, and the turtle is recovering well following the procedure, aquarium officials said.

The Kemp's ridley will be released back into the ocean off Cape Cod this summer.