Sea turtle recovering at Zoo Miami after shark attack took front flipper

Baymax, a 50-yearold pregnant 388-pound loggerhead sea turtle that was likely attacked by a shark, is being treated at Zoo Miami’s newly approved Sea Turtle Hospital.

Baymax was missing most of her front left flipper, leaving exposed bone and torn flesh, when Zoo Miami received a call on May 22 about the reptile, which is a threatened species. Zoo officials suspect the shark attack occurred near Port St. Lucie.

After initially being sent to Zoo Miami, Baymax was living in a recovery tank and fed vitamins as well as squid and crab. She has scars that indicate she was hit by a boat and bitten by another shark earlier in her life.

Baymax’s recent surgery was to remove the exposed bone and treat the area to prevent infection. Zoo Miami said it’s not unusual for sea turtles to lose a limb to shark attacks or boat strikes. The main threat to turtles after such an injury is from blood loss or infection.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Sea Turtle Hospital is scheduled for July 6, but because the facility already passed inspection and received permits to treat sea turtles, Baymax was transported to Miami for surgery and rehabilitation.

Baymax will recover in a special stall in Zoo Miami’s main hospital, then be transferred back to her tank at the Sea Turtle Hospital, where she’ll be monitored for weeks as the staff decides whether she’s ready to be returned to the wild.

Two days ago, after an ultrasound revealed she was carrying eggs, Baymax was placed in a tank filled with sand and given calcium and OxyContin to stimulate her ability to lay eggs. On Tuesday, Baymax laid more than 100 eggs in a special sand-filled pen constructed at Zoo Miami.

COURTESY Baymax, a 50-year-old, 388-pound female sea turtle, is recovering at Zoo Miami after a presumed shark attack took most of her front left flipper.