Rescued Sea Turtle Undergoes CT Scan in Woburn

Photo: Turtle #382 was intubated and anesthetized in preparation for the CT scan last week at the Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital in Woburn.

Members of the New England Aquarium Turtle Hospital medical team brought Sea Turtle # 382 last week to the Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital in Woburn for a CT evaluation of abnormal gas accumulation in coelom (the body cavity within the shell).

The procedure went well, though further diagnostic and medical intervention will be needed to resolve the condition, according to veterinary hospital officials.

Photo: Kathleen Morrison, CVT of Mass Vet and the team from the New England Aquarium work together to ensure #382 is aligned correctly for the CT scan.

In an average year, over the past decade, approximately 90 critically endangered Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles wash up on the beaches of Cape Cod. This year, over 1,000 turtles have been found, more than 750 of which were rescued alive, and are in the process of being rehabilitated.

Adult Kemp’s ridleys are considered the smallest marine turtle in the world, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Their top shell (carapace) is often as wide as it is long and contains 5 pairs of costal “scutes”. Each of the front flippers has one claw while the back flippers may have one or two.

The rehabilitation process is vital to the survival of this critically endangered species of sea turtle. Every rescued and released Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle directly impacts the global population and their ability to evade extinction.

Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital veterinarian and radiologist, Dr. Jennifer Brisson, works with the New England Aquarium to support their efforts in rehabilitating and returning sea turtles to the wild.

The rescued sea turtles are emaciated in many cases, and suffer from extreme hypothermia, dehydration, pneumonia, and shell or bone fractures. They are rehabilitated and nursed back to health by the animal health team at the Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital in Quincy, MA. In most years, 80 to 90 percent of the rescued turtles are returned to health and released back into the wild.

If you would like to assist the New England Aquarium with their work rescuing sea turtles, work, you can volunteer or donate: http://www.neaq.org/get_involved/index.php

Photos courtesy of Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital in Woburn.