Turtle Rescued From Ocean City Needs Your Help

OCEAN CITY, NJ — A sea turtle rescued off Ocean City last June has made significant progress. Since struggling with buoyancy, Tabitha has become inquisitive, according to Sea Turtle Recovery.

But the North Jersey nonprofit taking care of Tabitha could use your help. Sea Turtle Recovery's veterinarians would like to start her on a medication to boost red cell production. But it's expensive — a single dose costs more than $155.

A GoFundMe on the organization's behalf will support Tabitha's medication.

Tabitha, a loggerhead sea turtle, is 20-24 years old and weighs 140 pounds. She was found floating off the bay and taken to Sea Turtle Recovery, which is located inside Essex County's Turtle Back Zoo.

At the time, Tabitha's buoyancy prevented her from diving. She was also covered with barnacles, a sign she felt ill for a long time. Read more: 140-Pound Turtle In Ocean City Falls Ill, Gets Rescued

Sea Turtle Recovery's veterinary team surgically removed about 2.4 gallons of air from Tabitha's body cavity. Her buoyancy control has improved, and recent x-rays showed improvement in her lung tissue.

She spends most of her days sleeping and hunting. But her most significant threat is severe anemia, with which the medication would help.

Only 1 in 10,000 sea turtle hatchlings survive to adulthood, according to Sea Turtle Recovery. So Tabitha has already overcome tremendous odds. They can begin reproducing at about age 25, so Tabitha's survival is key to her species's survival, the nonprofit says.

Click here to donate.

Click here to get Patch email notifications on this or other local news articles or get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our app. Download here. Follow Ocean City Patch on Facebook. Have a news tip? Email josh.bakan@patch.com.