C-3PO | South Carolina Aquarium

C-3PO

Dec 15

C-3PO

Kemp’s ridley(Lepidochelys kempii)

Arrival Date: November 27, 2016

Stranding Location: Eastham, Massachusetts

Weight: 4.0 pounds

Lifestage: Juvenile

Case History

This 3-5 year old kemp’s was found washed up on the beach in Eastham Massachusetts on November 14th and taken to the New England Aquarium, their 35th stranding of 2016. S/he had a body temperature of 60.8°F and a low heart rate of only 5 bpm. Once stable, s/he was transported down to the Sea Turtle Care Center on a private jet with 11 other “first class” passengers.

Treatment

C-3PO’s vitals were monitored, fluids were given, and Ceftaz (a broad-spectrum antibiotic) was administered. C-3PO was placed in his/her new home in the Sea Turtle Hospital after his/her body temperature matched that of the tank water.

Updates

December 10, 2016: C-3PO is currently being housed with three other roommates, eating well and getting antibiotic injections every three days. We are also slowly increasing all the cold stuns diets every few days, and carefully monitoring them for any signs of pneumonia or osteomyelitis (bone infection).

January 6, 2017: This young energetic turtle is eating and doing well! We are all proud of how well the cold stun patients are doing thus far.

February 7, 2017: C-3P0 is well on the road to recovery! He/she is very active and continues to gain weight and eat well.

March 1, 2017: C-3PO continues to thrive and is looking great! C-3PO was pulled for a pre-release exam, bloodwork and tagging – hopefully s/he will be ready for release soon!

Release Date

March 14, 2017

Release Location

Surfside County Park in St. Augustine, Florida

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