For those who missed this week facebook live, Green turtle Merida’s surgery was a success! 3 hours 50 minutes Fibrous papilloma (FP) Merida has since returned to Galveston with her partner to recuperate. Sea Turtle Research Gulf Coast Center at Texas A&M institution. This juvenile green turtle has been on a long journey since her December last year. She was found stranded on the shores of Galveston around Christmas, and she had taken part in a cold and dazed affair. Sea turtles are poikilotherms and rely on heat from the environment to maintain their body temperature. During the winter, turtles are prone to “cold fainting” and become lethargic and unable to swim when the water temperature drops sharply. Many of these turtles end up suffering from pneumonia and other medical conditions.
In addition to being cold and dazed, Merida had a serious eye injury and our veterinary team was unsure if she was injured. She thought a bird had pecked her in the eye. Our team consulted her eye doctor and it turned out she had a nasty fungal infection. With the treatment they recommended, her eyes now look normal and both have near-normal vision. This is a feat that we still cannot believe.
Merida also had frostbite that caused a bone infection, but with the veterinarian’s recommended treatment, her carapace is slowly recovering from the bone infection.and now she’s back to talking Fibropapilloma tumors…this is a very common problem in this species of turtle. This tumor is caused by the herpes virus, which is similar to how humans get cold sores. Unless it’s large or in a location that poses a problem, it shouldn’t be a problem. Merida had a number of very large tumors, growing mainly on her flippers, which were successfully removed during surgery this week by one of our staff veterinarians, Dr. Kendra. It is recovering in Galveston and should be cleared to be released back into the wild within a few weeks.
people are encouraged to call 1-866-turtle-5 If you find or accidentally catch a sea turtle, a professional will evaluate it so that care can be provided if needed.
By simply choosing reusable shopping bags and water bottles instead of single-use plastic items and eliminating the use of plastic straws, people can help keep our oceans and waterways free from plastic pollution and maintain clean spaces for sea turtles to live in.