Meet Sid and Olaf

Sid and Olaf are two of the NMLC’s “collection turtles.” They were rescued from poor homes and bad situations and now live at the Center. Due to the risk of spreading diseases into the wild, these turtles will reside here for the rest of their carefree lives.

Sadly, since I have met this dynamic duo, one of its members has sadly succumbed to his long term battle with disease. Sid was the bigger of these two turtles, but was never one two flaunt it. He was a very modest turtle who mostly kept to himself despite his partner’s extremely “outgoing” nature. Though he did not show much force in his life, he fought a strong battle with metabolic bone disease. Unfortunately, not all great warriors can come out on top. Sid was euthanized on a sunny afternoon by the NMLC veterinarian.

Now that his trusted sidekick is at peace, Olaf has the whole tank to swim freely. However, though his mind is as juvenile and energetic as ever, his body is not absolved from the cruelty of his disease. Olaf suffers from a condition that is essentially causing his shell to decompose on itself. Staff have recently judged that his infection may have spread into his body cavity, in which case he will not have much longer to live. The hardest part about coming to this diagnosis is the fact that Olaf shows no signs of illness; he maintains his perky attitude and continues to eat like a pig. (One of his most entertaining habits is following people around the room – from inside his tank.)

Though one half is gone and the other is slowly deteriorating, this team of two will always be in the hearts of those at the NMLC.