1/19 Turtle (56 cm long, weighs 18.4 kg) came in after being cold-stunned during January's prolonged cold wave. Some of the turtle's shell is missing in the middle/right area. Turtle also has a 10-inch crack in the plastron (lower shell) and damage to the right side of the carapace, plus an old injury on the back of the carapace. Cause of these injuries is unknown. 1/26 The turtle has been warmed in a medical pool, but Mack remains in critical condition and is not eating. 3/14 Turtle finally started eating on its own after several weeks and is now swimming strongly in deep water. Mack was anesthetized for wound debridement and papilloma removal last week and has recovered smoothly. The carapace and plastron injuries are showing signs of good bone healing, but the turtle remains on several antibiotics due to the continued risk of infection. Appetite is good and bloodwork is stable.  4/3  Mack continues to do well, and is now off antibiotics.  Wounds appear to be doing well, and turtle will be examined for more aggressive wound care in the coming week.  4/17  Turtle continues to do well — eating normally and gaining weight.  Wounds are healing very well; the injury to the side of the carapace is almost completely healed and the crack on the plastron remains the only real concern.  Mack's bloodwork is showing some signs of a slight infection, so the turtle has been started on a new antibiotic. 5/12  Bloodwork is improving and Mack is gaining weight. Most wounds are healed and one small piece of dead bone was removed from the carapace during the last exam.  No signs of papilloma tumor regrowth, so we are just waiting for all bony injuries to heal and signs of infection to resolve before release.6/8  Mack is doing well — eating and behaving normally.  White blood cell count is still slightly elevated, but much improved from a few weeks ago.  We have discontinued antibiotics and will monitor closely for any signs of a return of infection.6/22 Mack's white blood cell count is still a concern, so antibiotic therapy was started.  No re-growth of tumors at this point. 7/24  Animal is almost ready for release. Will apply to the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for a release permit within the next couple of weeks. 8/8 Waiting for approval of release site, then animal is ready to go. 8/12 Turtle was released today back on the East coast of Florida!!


Human activities can sometimes have negative affects on the animals that call Southwest Florida's coastal waters home.
Don't hide inside your shell. Donate to Mote today and help us return these animals to the wild.