Dancer's Story
Cold Stunned & Pneumonia
Dancer is a juvenile Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle that became cold stunned following rapid temperature drops in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Kemp’s Ridleys are the smallest, rarest, and most endangered sea turtle species in the entire world. They commonly inhabit nearshore areas throughout the Gulf of Mexico, but juveniles like Dancer, are also found along eastern North Atlantic coasts, and Atlantic ocean as far north as Nova Scotia! In collaboration with the New England Aquarium and Turtles Fly Too https://www.turtlesflytoo.org/ , Dancer and 11 other cold stunned sea turtles were flown from Cape Cod to our facility for rehabilitation. Dancer has made a full recovery following a cold stunning event and pneumonia and was released back into the wild in February 2023!
Name: Dancer
Species: Kemp’s Ridley (Lk)
Age class: Juvenile
Admission date: 12/18/22
Ailment: Cold Stunned, Pneumonia
Weight: 1.50 kg
Updates
12/18/22: Admitted into rehab. Veterinary exam, x-rays, and blood drawn.
12/19/22: Begin a supportive care regiment and daily nebulizer treatments.
12/30/22: Patient is active and eating!
1/4/23: Bloodwork re-evaluated and x-rays taken. Continue to closely monitor behavior and temperature.
1/9/23: Stop daily nebulizing treatment and continue supportive care routine. Increase food offering and monitor feeding behavior.
2/7/23: Off all medications.
2/21/23: Tagged and released in Cape Canaveral, FL.
