MERR Rescues Sea Turtle Snagged by Fishing Hook
Suzanne Thurman from the MERR Institute says her organization helped save this Kemp’s ridley sea turtle in Slaughter Beach who got caught by a fishing hook last week. The fisherman took the turtle to the Dupont Nature Center which got in touch with MERR. The turtle actually ingested the hook, so it required surgery for removal which was performed at the Virginia Aquarium and Science Center.
“The turtle successfully went through surgery and the hook was removed from the esophagus. It’s recovering nicely and hopefully, it can be released soon,” Thurman said on Saturday. Kemp’s ridleys are the most endangered sea turtle species worldwide, Thurman points out, so they are all hoping that she gets through surgery and can soon be returned to the wild to resume her life.
This Kemp’s ridley sea turtle was MERR’s only response this past week. There were some sightings of dolphins in the creeks off of the inland bays, she added, but they seemed healthy.
