Linda releasing #8

This past Monday, June 14th, roughly around 1pm a group of National Marine Life crew headed down Cape to Wellfleet to send home eight adorable little turtles.  The turtles were diamond-backed terrapin hatchlings that overwintered at the National Marine Life Center because they hatched too late last fall to survive the winter in the wild.  After an adventurous drive to the release site off of Chequessett Neck Road, it was time for us to say farewells and goodbyes! Best of Luck little guys!

Occasionally, volunteers swabbed the terrapins' shells gently with a dilute veterinary cleansing solution to remove algal growth.

On June 14th our eight diamond-backed terrapin hatchlings are going home! These small turtles, listed as “threatened” by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, hatched too late in the season last year to survive the cold winter.  They’ve spent the past 7 1/2 months in a nice, warm environment at the National Marine Life Center.  Daily, volunteers fed the animals and cleaned their tanks.  Weekly, volunteers weighed and measured the animals.

Dr. Williams examines each terrapin with a veterinary scope.

With the warming of weather, we’ve been preparing the diamond-backs to return to the wild by introducing clams and quahogs to their diet and increasing the salinity of their habitats to match their natural salt marsh environment.  The last step was an exit exam.  NMLC Veterinarian Dr. Williams examined each animal’s eyes, limbs, and shell, took weights and measurements and a full set of identification photographs, and proclaimed the turtles fit for release!

Thank you to the many volunteers who assisted in caring for these young turtles.  Because of you, the animals have a second chance at survival.

The release is open to the public.

RELEASE DETAILS:
TIME:  Monday, June 14, 3:00 pm
LOCATION:  Meet at Great Island Parking Lot in Wellfleet, MA
DIRECTIONS: From Sagamore Bridge:
~ Cross Sagamore Bridge.  Head south on US-6E for approximately 36.1 miles.
~ At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit onto US-6E/Mid-Cape Hwy
~ Continue to follow US-6E for 11.7 miles
~ Turn left at School Street and continue onto Mill Hill Road for 0.3 miles
~ Turn left at Ryder Court for 0.2 miles
~ Continue onto Holbrook Avenue, and turn right at Chequessett Neck Road for 0.5 miles
~ Take a slight left to stay on Chequessett Neck Road for 1.9 miles
~ Park in Great Island Parking Lot

"Lavender" is a Kemp's ridley sea turtle. Kemp's ridleys are the most critically endangered sea turtle in the world. Since admitting our first Kemp's ridley patient in 2005, NMLC has cared for 19 of this species.

Today is Endangered Species Day.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service observes Endangered Species Day “…in order to recognize the national conservation effort to protect our nation’s endangered species and their habitats.”

We’d like to recognize the 74 endangered and threatened species that the National Marine Life Center has cared for over the past six years.  Our mission to rehabilitate marine animals is especially compelling when considering endangered species.  The population numbers of endangered species are so low that every individual matters in that population.  Each individual we can rehabilitate or headstart and release back into the wild helps their population recover.

Fletcher is a loggerhead sea turtle. Currently listed as "threatened", loggerheads' population numbers in the US have continued to decline and they are being proposed for uplisting to "endangered" status. Since accepting our first patient, "Eco", in 2004, NMLC has cared for 2 loggerheads.

Please donate to the National Marine Life Center and help us open our new marine animal hospital so we can save more endangered and threatened marine animals.  Every gift matters.  Thank you.

Northern red-bellied cooters are listed as "threatened" on the federal endangered species list and "endangered" at the state level. NMLC participates in a state-managed "head start" program that has increased hatchling survivability by over 90%. Because of our veterinary expertise, we are often asked to care for animals from the headstart program that need medical attention. Since becoming a partner in the head start program, NMLC has cared for 37 cooters.

Patty is a diamond-backed terrapin listed as "threatened" within Massachusetts. NMLC helps terrapin researchers by overwintering hatchlings and rehabilitating sick turtles. Since admitting our first diamond-backed terrapin in 2008, NMLC has cared for 16 terrapins.

Patty seems to be enjoying the deeper water of her tank.  She explores more and likes to rest on the rocks.

You can visit Patty and see her progress.  NMLC’s Marine Animal Discovery Center is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm throughout the summer.  Click here for directions.  Click here to make a donation to help Patty and other animals in need.

LEAVE YOUNG WILDLIFE ALONE!

Diamondback Terrapin hatchling newly emerged from the mud after a winter of "brumation". NMLC photo.

The arrival of spring means the arrival of newborn and just-hatched wildlife. These youngsters soon venture into the world on shaky legs or fragile wings and are discovered by people living and working nearby. Every year, the lives of many young wild creatures are disturbed by people who take young wildlife from the wild in a well-intentioned attempt to “save” them. Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) offices are already receiving calls about young wildlife picked up by people.

These well-meant acts of kindness tend to have the opposite result. Instead of being left to learn their place in the world, young wildlife removed from the wild are denied important natural learning experiences that help them survive on their own. Most people quickly find that they can’t really care for young wildlife, and many of the animals soon die in the hands of well-meaning people. Young wildlife that does survive human “assistance” miss experiences that teach them to fend for themselves. If these animals are released back into the wild, their chances of survival are reduced. Often, the care given to young wildlife results in some attachment to humans and the animals may return to places where people live, only to be attacked by domestic animals or hit by cars. Some animals become nuisances and people have even been injured by once-tamed wildlife.

Harbor seal pup. NMLC photo.

Avoid these problems by following one simple rule when coming upon young wildlife: If You Care, Leave Them There! It may be difficult to do, but this is a real act of compassion. The young are quite safe when left alone because their color patterns and lack of scent help them remain undetected. Generally the parent will visit their young only a few times a day to avoid leaving traces that attract predators. Wildlife parents are not disturbed by human scent. Baby birds found on the ground may be safely picked up and placed in a nearby bush or tree. Avoid nest and den areas of young wildlife and restrain all pets.

Leave fawns (young deer) where they are found. Fawns are safest when left alone because their camouflaging color helps them remain undetected until the doe returns. Unlike deer, newborn moose calves remain in close proximity to their mothers who, in contrast to a white-tailed doe, will actively defend calves against danger. An adult cow moose weighing over 600 pounds will chase, kick and stomp a potential predator, people included.

Only when young wildlife are found injured or with their dead mother may the young be assisted, but must then be delivered immediately to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Due to the difficulty in properly caring for them there are no rehabilitators licensed to care of fawns. It is illegal to possess most wildlife in Massachusetts. Information on young wildlife is on line at www.mass.gov/masswildlife and a list of licensed wildlife rehabilitators is posted at: http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/wildlife/rehab/wildlife_rehab_index.htm.

Editor’s Note:  The National Marine Life Center is not included in the above list of wildlife rehabilitators as marine animals are managed separately from other wildlife.  NMLC is authorized by the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Marine Fisheries Service for our sea turtle, and eventual seal and dolphin, rehabilitation work.

If you see a seal pup on the beach, please call the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s Marine Mammal Rescue & Research Program at 508-743-9548 (Cape Cod), or the authorized marine mammal stranding network organization in your area.  Click here for a list of NOAA-authorized organizations.

Patty’s favorite food right now is quahogs.  As you can see in the video, she attacks them with a vengeance!  She will also eat clams… once in awhile!  (She can be rather picky.)  Once when we were out of clams and quahogs we tried feeding her scallops and she seemed to like those as well.

Bon appetit, Patty!

P.S. – If you dig for clams and quahogs and have any to spare, Patty would sure like them!  Drop them by any weekday at the National Marine Life Center, 120 Main Street, Buzzards Bay.  Thanks!

Today was my second day at the National Marine Life Center.  Today I watched as the veterinarians and workers did another check up on Patty.  The reason they do so many checkups on Patty is because she is a very sick turtle.  She has a strange and rare shell disease that is basically no blood is circulating to her shell so it has almost completely fallen off.  Only two other turtles in all the literature and records, of at least the U.S., have ever been diagnosed with this and they were both box turtles.  All that’s left is a few pieces of shell and a hard pink membrane which they call a pseudo-shell.  It looks just like skin but is almost as hard as a shell.  They believe that a new shell is growing under the pseudo-shell.  When Patty was first found she had almost been frozen to death.  When the National Marine Life Center got her she had no use of her hind legs and she was basically blind with her eyes filling up with blood.  Since she has been there she has regained her sight and her leg use, but after having her for a few months they began to notice that her shell was falling off.  In a few weeks it went from a full shell to what it is now.  During her check up today they did the usual, weigh her, etc.  Also they had to pump the feces out of her by putting a tube up her anus and pumping water up there to clean her out.  It was fairly disgusting.  But they did notice however that in her tank was some solid feces which is a good thing because she has had trouble going to the bathroom for a while.  After that I helped clean out her tank with another one of the volunteers.  Then I was asked to help out with Patty’s tubing.  This is when you stick a tube down the turtle’s throat to give her medicine.  Patty did not like that at all.  I was the one who held Patty up right and held her front legs down, another volunteer held her head steady, and Joanne Nicholson put the tube down her throat.  Once the tube was down her throat she stopped fighting us, probably out of shock.  Then Joanne asked me to hold her up right for five minutes so she wouldn’t regurgitate the medicine.  While holding her I accidentally knocked a piece of her shell that was ready to fall off, but I still felt bad because it began to bleed a little.  Once I put her down we rubbed burn creams and skin creams on her to soothe her back (not because of the shell I knocked off but because of her disease).  Then Joanne talked to me a little bit about what the internship would be about and what I would be doing.  While she did this she showed me around and explained everything.  I volunteered 3 hours today.

Editor’s note: Frank Reske, III is a freshman at Unity College in Maine. His major is Captive Wildlife Care and Education. Frank volunteered at the National Marine Life Center over his spring break as part of a community service project for school. He has also applied to be a summer intern at NMLC. This is part 2 of 3 journal entries he wrote as part of his spring break project.

There is a new shell forming under the pink tissue we call the pseudo-shell, this is good news but at this point the new shell is not uniform or sturdy enough to adequately protect Patty.  In fact a large part of what makes a turtle shell protective is the hard covering of the shell which is made of keratin (like our hair and nails), and we have not seen evidence of new growth for this layer, yet.

Additional findings will be made available in Rounds Notes, but in the meantime Patty continues to eat well and as soon as the last dead bone comes off we can take her off antibiotics.  As we approach the one year mark for her rehabilitation it’s also a good time to reflect on the positive effect we’ve had with Patty.  Her back legs are much stronger and she is able to move around her tank.  Her eye’s have cleared and she can see and find food.  She has survived the loss of her shell and we have evidence of new shell growth.  We are also learning about the regenerative properties of turtles in general, so indeed Patty has had a lot to teach us.

Today I went to the National Marine Life Center for my interview for my summer internship.  While I was there, I watched them do a check up on a turtle they call Patty.  She is a diamondback terrapin.  They weighed her, took pictures, and checked things, like her kidneys, to see how she was doing.  Then after that I was asked to follow and help out one of the volunteers with their duties.  We cleaned the red-bellied cooter tank.  I was in charge of washing each piece of the tank, like the pump, heaters, and walls that blocked off the pump.  At the Center they have eight red-bellied cooters, eight diamondback terrapins, and Patty (who is the ninth terrapin).  Then after we were finished with this I sat down with one of their workers there and they explained to me what the internship would most likely be about and asked me a few questions such as why I want to intern there and also some things she wanted to know about that I had put on my resume and cover letter.  I volunteered 2 hours today.

Editor’s note:  Frank Reske, III is a freshman at Unity College in Maine.  His major is Captive Wildlife Care and Education.  Frank volunteered at the National Marine Life Center over his spring break as part of a community service project for school.  He has also applied to be a summer intern at NMLC.  This is part 1 of 3 journal entries he wrote as part of his spring break project.