An endangered green sea turtle found in Canada's frigid seas in January is now heading back to California's warmer waters after receiving initial rehabilitation from hypothermia.
Comber, a green sea turtle discovered on a far-flung beach in Vancouver Island's west coast, had suffered from a hypothermia so terrible that it had been hard for officials to say if the turtle was still alive.
Sea turtles such as Comber are cold-blooded, which means they depend on external environments to regulate body temperature. As such, sea turtles do not usually live in Canada because of the country's climate.
On Jan. 23, the sea turtle, who is about 12 to 20 years old, was admitted to Vancouver Aquarium's Marine Mammal Rescue Center with an 11.2 degree Celsius (52.16 degree Fahrenheit) body temperature.
Dr. Martin Haulena, the rescue center's head veterinarian, said Comber's state in January was so bad that he had difficulty breathing.
The aquarium staff then treated Comber with gastrointestinal protectants, antibiotics, and a measured boost in temperature. They kept track of the turtle's heartbeats through ultrasound.
Comber's Future
Hauder said there is nowhere in the country with waters warm enough to help the 35-kilogram (77-pound) Comber survive.
To make sure that Comber gets to find a suitable home, Vancouver Aquarium had coordinated with other agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (UFWS), U.S. Coast Guard, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and several U.S. aquariums.
Fortunately, Comber will be taken by the UFWS and returned to California. After staying at the Seattle aquarium for one night, Comber will be taken to San Diego SeaWorld where they will finish the turtle's rehabilitation.
Once waters are temperate enough, Comber and other sea turtles under rehabilitation, including an olive ridley sea turtle named Tucker, will be freed. Of these animals, Comber is the single sea turtle that managed to reach Canada. Tucker was found off a Washington coast.
Although Comber is the first green sea turtle rescued and released by the aquarium, he is not the first to be rehabilitated.
In 2005, the team found a green sea turtle named Schoona in the waters off British Columbia. She was considered non-releasable and now stays in the aquarium's gallery of Tropical Waters.
In California, when green sea turtles are rescued, only 30 percent of the saved animals make it to release, said Haulena.
Comber, however, had beaten the odds.
Haulena said getting Comber healthy enough so he could be released into the wild was their number goal.
"He can contribute to the growth of the endangered sea turtle population," added Haulena.
