Boardom: Environment

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The thrill is in the ride

What's New	Planet Earth - Boarding America's Environmental Efforts A little known fact is that the first "boarders" on the planet were sea turtles who "bodysurfed" the waves. These same turtles - among the first species to inhabit earth - are facing extinction because of man. For that reason, Boarding America has adopted the sea turtle and other endangered sea life as our environmental symbol of hope and survival.	Environment The Turtle Hospital Marathon, Florida Mile marker 50 holds The Turtle Hospital. Open to turtles at all times. The Turtle Hospital was opened in 1986 with four main goals: 1) repair injured sea turtles and return them to the wild, 2) educate the public through outreach programs to local and out of state schools, 3) to conduct and assist with research in conjunction with state universities to aid the sea turtles, 4) to work for environmental legislation to make the beaches water safe and clean for sea turtles. The Turtle Hospital relies on volunteers to assist with feeding and caring for turtles. Many veterinarians, both local and non-local, have and continue to volunteer their time as well. The Hidden Harbor Motel provides the space and the buildings needed to house and care for the sea turtles. The Turtle Hospital treats a variety of turtle ailments, such as flipper amputations caused by fishing line and trap rope entanglements, shell damage caused by boat collisions, and intestinal impactions cause by ingestion of foreign material, such as plastic bags, balloons, and fishing lines. The most common surgery performed is the removal of debilitating viral tumors that affect over 50% of the sea turtle in the Keys and around the world.
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Mile marker 50 holds The Turtle Hospital.Open to turtles at all times.	The virus, suspected to be herpes virus, started in the greens, but has now been identified in all species. The virus causes grotesque tumors, called fibropapillomas, to grow over the entire animal. These tumors will enlarge to the size of a grapefruit, impinging on the animal’s ability to swim. Even worse, the tumor will develop on the animal’s eyes blinding them, preventing them from finding food, and eventually causing death by starvation. If an infected animal is found and caught, and if the tumors can be identified at an early stage, they can be removed surgically. To date, it appears that if these tumors are removed while still only present on the outside of the turtle’s skin, the turtle will go onto an uneventful recovery. The Turtle Hospital and the University of Florida have been doing cooperative research into the cause of fibropapilloma, the debilitating tumors affecting sea turtles. This is currently the only global disease affecting wild animals. We have successfully been able to transmit the disease, proving that it is an infectious disease, and we are on the last stage of isolating the cause. In 1997, the Turtle Hospital formed an alliance with Dr. Douglas Mader, a renowned exotic animal veterinary surgeon. Difficult medical and surgical cases, which once were considered untreatable, are within the realm of 21st Century care. More recently, a gracious donation from the SIMA Environmental Fund allowed us to purchase a Flexible Endoscope with video monitor, perhaps the single most important piece of equipment that the hospital needs. The two biggest medical problems that are encountered in the sea turtles are, first, ingested foreign material, and second, internal viral tumors. Both of these occurrences mean certain death for the affected animal. The endoscope will allow the Turtle Hospital to retrieve ingested garbage without subjecting the patient to surgery. In humans, and dogs and cats, post-surgical recovery is an uneventful occurrence. However, in sea turtles, animals that must live in the water to survive, surgery is not a simple task. Once the sanctity of the protective shell has been breached, healing can be severely compromised by placing the animal back in the water. Obviously this is a necessity, since the turtle must be in the water to eat, but the risk to recovery is great. The endoscope will also allow the hospital to evaluate the lungs for presence of small tumors. If tumors are found, then one of the two options can be removed: first, if the tumors are small enough, they can be removed using the endoscope, or secondly, if the tumors are non-operable, the turtle can be spared surgery and humanely euthanized in accordance with federal regulations.	Green Sea Turtle being administered anesthesia, preparing for surgery.
Dr. Douglas Mader (r) shown in front of the Turtle Hospital Ambulance.		SIMA Enviromental Fund donated this Flexible Endoscope being used to view the lungs.
Anesthesia machine prepared for surgery.		Green Sea Turtle recovering from surgery.

Humans will always revel in the joys of the ocean. There is no reason that people and nature can't co-exist. Education is the key to harmony. Public awareness, exemplified by the plight of the sea turtles, an animal that is found worldwide, is an excellent opportunity to fulfill this need.
Last year the Turtle Hospital successfully released 28 endangered sea turtles. Two years ago, a former Turtle Hospital patient, one that had a gangrenous flipper amputated, was spotted nesting on a Gulf Coast beach. In the first six months of 1998 the Turtle Hospital has released 23 sea turtle back to the wild. These animals live over 100 years, and remain reproductive throughout life. Even a single event like that justifies the Turtle Hospital's existence

Hidden Harbor Marine Environmental Project, Inc.
2396 Overseas Highway
Marathon, Florida Keys 33050
(305) 743-5376