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Loggerhead (Caretta caretta)
Stranding Location: Yawkey South Island Reserve, Georgetown, SC
Arrival Date: 7/11/20
Age: Adult
Weight: 258 (lbs)
Case History
Angel Oak was found stranded on the Yawkey Wildlife South Island Reserve on Cat Island after sustaining a severe boat strike to her caudal carapace. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) was contacted and staff member, Charlotte Hope, responded to transport Angel Oak to the South Carolina Aquarium for emergency treatment.
Treatment
When Angel Oak arrived, she was alert but fairly calm considering the circumstances. It took a large number of people to get her loaded onto a large cart with a scale to get an accurate weight and transport her to the medical facility. This big momma weighed a whopping 258 pounds! Once upstairs, her vital signs were checked, the wounds were flushed and she was given antibiotics, fluids and vitamins. Based on her size, and the fact that it is currently nesting season, an ultrasound was used to check for eggs. There were numerous shelled eggs and egg follicles seen, confirming that Angel Oak was in fact a female, and was likely in the area to nest when she was hit by the boat. Angel Oak was then moved into a shallow tank to rest overnight. She was covered in leeches and lots of other epibionts, so the first couple days we did freshwater baths to help remove them. The wound to her carapace was not very fresh, and there is likely a lot of dead bone and tissue that will need to be debrided once she is more stable.
Update
July 15, 2020: The day after Angel Oak was moved into her shallow tank, she dropped a large number of the eggs. We will continue to monitor her and watch for more eggs. We are limiting our handling of Angel Oak due to the severity of the fractures on her shell, and the fact that we don’t want to jostle her while she may 
still have eggs that could rupture. We are concerned about the injury to her vertebrae and spinal cord, as she appears to have limited use of her rear flippers. Once she is more stable, and appears to have dropped all of her eggs, we will take her up for a CT scan to assess the extent of the damage to her spine. We have begun offering Angel Oak a few piece of fish daily, but so far she is uninterested. Lack of interest in food is not uncommon for a female turtle during nesting season, or with severe injuries. In the meantime, we will make sure she is staying hydrated with fluids and vitamins!
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