Th leatherback turtle is one of the world's largest reptiles and one was stranded in the surf on a remote Lowcountry beach. The 500-pound sea turtle was rescued by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and was taken to the South Carolina Aquarium where it is now recuperating.
It's rare for leatherback turtles to be found alive when they strand so wildlife officials are ecstatic about being able to help Yawkey. Its rescuers called the turtle that in reference to Yawkey-South Island, the barrier island where it was found. Yawkey weighed 500 pounds so it took five people almost four hours to get the turtle out of the beach before it could be taken to the SC Aquarium in Charleston.
"It was logistically difficult. We had a turtle stretcher on a board and we all did our best to lift it. It was very lethargic and sick looking," said Jenna Cormany, a wildlife biologist from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
Leatherbacks are aptly named because they don't have hard shells on their backs like other turtles. Instead, they have "shells" made of overlapping connective tissues over loosely interlocked dermal bones.
Adult leatherbacks can grow up to 2,000 pounds, rightfully earning the distinction of being the biggest turtle in the world. At 500 pounds, Yawkey is believed to be a young female. Eating debris it may have mistaken as jellyfish may be what's making the turtle sick right now so doctors at the SC Aquarium are treating the turtle for possible intestinal blockage. At the very least, its low blood sugar has been corrected after Yawkey received fluids.
Leatherbacks don't thrive in captivity so Yawkey will be released as soon as possible after its treatment is completed. The turtle is the first leatherback recovered alive in South Carolina and one of just a handful to be ever treated in the United States.
Leatherbacks are designated as endangered in the U.S. The turtle's Atlantic population appears to be growing or at least stable but its cousins in the Pacific are declining in numbers at an alarming rate because of inconsistencies in food availability, coastal development, accidental catching in fisheries and egg harvesting. In Malaysia, for instance, leatherbacks have been completely wiped out. It is unclear how long leatherbacks live but many are lost early no thanks to human activity. In fact, it is estimated that just one out of a thousand hatchlings will survive into adulthood.
Photo: Tim Evanson | Flickr
