WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
Poor juvenile loggerhead sea turtle that was badly mangled and had its jaw smashed by a boat propeller, with vets at a marine wildlife centre now battling to save it.
The video shows the loggerhead sea turtle, listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN’s) Red List of Threatened Species, badly injured, with an open wound just below its shell and blood pouring from around its left eye.
The images show vets at the Mundo Marino aquarium, the largest in Argentina, in San Clemente del Tuyu, tending to its numerous injuries as they bandage the turtle’s wounds and give it injections.
Newsflash obtained a statement from Mundo Marino saying that the injured turtle was rescued after it was hit by a boat propeller.
The statement also said: “A juvenile loggerhead turtle ( Caretta caretta ) weighing approximately 28 kilogrammes [61 lbs] was rescued on Friday, 19th April in the Lujan River area by the Temaiken Foundation, after receiving a call from an individual alerting about its presence in that watercourse.
“According to records, the animal was rescued with a large wound possibly caused by a collision with a boat or propeller.
“The turtle received first aid and the next day, with the instructions of the responsible authorities, it was referred for treatment and rehabilitation at the Mundo Marino Foundation.
“Upon receiving her, the team of veterinarians from the Mundo Marino Foundation found deep wounds in the area of ​​the shell and neck and a broken upper jaw.”
Juan Pablo Loureiro, a vet at the Mundo Marino Foundation, said: “The animal received analgesics to alleviate the pain, antibiotics to treat the wound and avoid infections and at the same time it is being kept hydrated and medicated in a suitable place with a heat plate to stimulate a good metabolic response to the treatment. It was also necessary to apply a bandage to contain the mandibular fracture.”
Sergio Rodriguez Heredia, head of the Rehabilitation Center of the Mundo Marino Foundation, said: “The specimen is badly beaten, with a perforating wound in the cervical sinus, and a carapace with plate cuts. What worries us most is that wound, very deep and serious in the neck region.”
The statement continued: “Regarding the hypotheses as to why it would have ventured into the Luján River, a channel with large traffic of boats, Heredia explained that ‘one possibility could be that due to the lack of food in usual areas these animals are forced to expand their search areas. In fact, cases of rescue of other species of turtles and sea lions in similar stretches and courses of water, further from the sea, are not unusual.'”
The statement said: “The animal will continue under the care of the veterinarians and technicians of the Mundo Marino Foundation while it recovers. His prognosis is reserved due to the severity of his injuries.​”
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Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash
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