Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Turtle Time!

South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, SC
Stop 7 of the VolunTOUR

On Tuesday morning, we were lucky enough to get to tour the South Carolina Aquarium and its Sea Turtle Hospital thanks to the Friends of Hunting Island and the Hospital's own Sea Turtle Rescue Program Coordinator, Kelly Thorvalson. Kelly showed us the inner workings of the aquarium, from saltwater refining processes to the proper care for river otters. She also introduced us to the fascinating procedures of sea turtle recovery and care. We were able to meet a few of the patients, learn their stories and we were happy to see several of them thriving and on the road to recovery!



We timed our visit right, because as Kelly was showing us the turtle hospital, a sick turtle was rushed in from a beach along the coast. To watch the turtle team spring into action was exciting and interesting to see. The hopes for this particular turtle were high, and we are interested to receive an update to see if her health conditions have improved since our visit. We owe a special thank you to the South Carolina Aquarium and Sea Turtle Hospital, as well as to their staff and Kelly Thorvalson in particular. It was an unforgettable experience and one that made us appreciate the nationwide effort of volunteers to locate and transport these turtles to hospitals where they may receive care. For all you boaters out there: take caution and maintain vigilance when going at high speeds both off and in-shore. Try to designate a passenger as the spotter to keep an eye for surfacing turtles. Too many of these ancient creatures are being struck by boats and a little vigilance can help reduce occurances!

Check out the status of "North Litchfield" here.

Moving North Litchfield from the truck into the hospital.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

thats actually good, it caught my eyes real quick after reading this antique site (antiques are my hobbies) then i stumbled upon this pagfe and i say that i have an antique turtle that looks exactly like this turtle....soooooooo cute good job guys..