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It is the first living leatherback turtle to be recovered in
South Carolina and one of only a handful ever treated at
rehabilitation facilities in the United States, said Jenna
Cormany, a wildlife biologist with the state's Department of
Natural Resources.
"I can hardly believe it. They don't strand alive very often,"
said Kelly Thorvalson, manager of the Sea Turtle Rescue Program
at the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston.
State wildlife officials spotted the animal on Saturday on the
beach on Yawkey-South Island Reserve, a 3.5-mile-long
(5.6-km-long) barrier island and wildlife preserve near
Georgetown, South Carolina.
It took five people nearly four hours to retrieve the turtle
from the beach, and the animal was then driven an hour and a
half south to Charleston, Cormany said.
"It was logistically difficult," she said. "We had a turtle
stretcher on a board and we all did our best to lift it. It was
very lethargic and sick looking."
Leatherbacks, the largest turtle in the world and the only sea
turtles without a hard shell, can weigh up to 2,000 pounds as
adults, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
Wildlife officials think the turtle they found is a young female
that may have eaten debris, shell or a plastic bag mistaken for
a jellyfish.
The animal, named Yawkey by the aquarium's staff in a nod to the
island where it was found, is being treated for a possible
intestinal blockage. It is improving after having its low blood
sugar corrected with fluids, Thorvalson said.
Leatherbacks do poorly in captivity, she said, so the rescued
turtle will be released after receiving treatment for a few
days.
(Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Marguerita Choy)
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