A Sea Turtle Story
Chapter 2: The Rescue
The story so far: A female loggerhead sea turtle (Pancake) is hit by a boat and badly injured. The poor turtle becomes trapped in heavy surf and is in real danger of drowning or being stranded on the shore. Several beachgoers see the struggling sea turtle and call for help. But, will rescuers reach Pancake in time?
Not a minute too soon, the rescuers reached the hurt turtle. Gently they wrapped Pancake in towels soaked with seawater and strapped her onto a special carrier.
The rescuers took Pancake to a nearby animal clinic. Luckily the vet, Dr. Mary, was there. She had had experience with all kinds of wildlife. Pancake was in good hands!
The first thing Dr. Mary did was to examine Pancake, clean her wounds and give her a shot to guard against infection. Pancake’s shell or carapace was badly cut. She would need extensive surgery to repair her carapace. Dr. Mary did the best she could, but she had limited resources at her clinic. She called the Vet School at the State University. The doctors there were some of the best and had helped other sea turtles with injuries just like Pancake’s. The school would have the surgeons and equipment needed to help Pancake!
Volunteers rushed Pancake to the Vet School. They kept her comfortable and watched her carefully on the trip. Once there, doctors operated to fix Pancake’s shell. They used screws, pins and metal plates to hold it together! Then the doctors put a bandage on the sea turtle. Pancake would be all right; her injuries would heal. But it would take time and lots of special care for the sea turtle to get better. Pancake needed to go to a place where she could get the care she needed. Pancake would have to depend on people to help her. The doctors knew just what to do. They would send Pancake to a very special place to get well. They would send her to a hospital just for sea turtles!
One of the doctors at the Vet School, Dr. Beth, called the sea turtle hospital to see if they could take Pancake.
“Jan, can you take a female loggerhead turtle?” Dr. Beth asked the nice lady who ran the hospital.
“What’s wrong with her?” Jan questioned.
“A boat hit her,” Dr. Beth answered. “The turtle’s carapace was badly cut by the propeller. We patched her up, but she still needs lots of care.”
“We’ll make room!” Jan said. “Tell me more about the turtle’s injuries.”
Dr. Beth began describing Pancake’s injuries and explaining the details of her course of treatment when a young girl burst through the door.
Lolly was in a hurry–as always! She couldn’t wait to get to work. Lolly loved her job at the sea turtle hospital. Her official title was “Junior Biologist.” Although Lolly was still a very young lady, she was as dedicated as anyone when it came to helping sea turtles. Lolly took her job seriously and was very responsible. Lolly had already decided that she wanted to be a marine biologist when she grew up.
“Jan!” Lolly called out. “I decided to come in a little early…” Lolly quit talking when she saw that Jan was on the phone.
“Okay, we’ll be ready. Thanks, Beth.” Jan finished her conversation with Dr. Beth and hung up.
“What good timing!” Jan cried. “We have a loggerhead on its way. I need you to get a tank ready.”
“Right away, Jan,” Lolly said. She hurried to get her cleaning supplies.
Lolly never minded cleaning or any of the other jobs she was asked to do. She was eager to help. Lolly worked hard scrubbing the turtle tank. She wanted to make sure that it was clean for the new patient. Lolly always worked hard even though she didn’t get paid. Lolly was a volunteer. She and other volunteers helped keep the hospital running smoothly.
Just as Lolly finished getting the turtle tank ready, Pancake arrived. The scared sea turtle was carried in on a stretcher. Pancake was carefully placed on a table. The staff examined her bandages and discussed what they needed to do to care for the injured turtle.
Lolly helped calm the frightened turtle. Gently, she patted the turtle’s back. “There, there…” Lolly talked softly as the staff looked Pancake over. “What a good girl you are!”
Pancake seemed to respond to Lolly and relax under her tender touch. Lolly listened intently as Jan described Pancake’s injuries. She paid close attention to the details of what would be done to help the turtle get well.
“Poor Pancake,” Lolly whispered softly, “don’t worry. We’ll take good care of you!”
Lolly had helped take care of lots of turtles before. She cared deeply about each and every one. But she felt a special bond with this turtle. Pancake seemed to feel it too. Lolly was determined to do all she could to help Pancake get well. Someday she hoped the sea turtle would be well enough to be returned back to her ocean home. But only time would tell! To be continued Tuesday, May 22 Next Time: The Sea Turtle Hospital