A massive loggerhead sea turtle was found stranded on Lewes Beach, Delaware, on the 7th of September 2019. This animal was the only one found alive amongst five other loggerhead turtles, all of which were dead upon discovery on the same day after Hurricane Dorian. Hurricanes do not usually cause the death of these animals, but the increased wave energy and wind direction can push deceased or debilitated animals to the shore.
The surviving turtle is a female loggerhead weighing 275 pounds (125 kilograms), more than 3 feet in length but still underweight and had parasites living on her shell, a sign of a potentially debilitated animal.
It also had what was thought to be a pre-existing shell injury caused by a boat propeller which it had probably been living with for some time, according to Suzanne Thurman, the executive director of the Marine Education, Research and Rehabilitation Institute, who was responsible for the initial treatments. The shell was cracked and split open. "With every breath she would take, the shell would expand because of the way that it was broken", said Thurman.
The turtle was then transported to the National Aquarium in Baltimore, to receive long-term rehabilitation for her condition. The Animal Rescue team reported it is the largest turtle patient they had received in over a decade. The turtle remains in critical condition and the aquarium cannot currently say when or if the animal can be fully rehabilitated.
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