May 6th, 2015, call comes in from Ocean Water Sports, 4th Ave S, Myrtle Beach. "We just pulled a very tiny turtle out of the surf, it was rolling around in the waves" This started things in motions and the tiny turtle was soon on the way to the Sea Turtle Hospital in Charleston.
A little endangered green sea turtle, it's carapace measure just over 12 inches. The turtle was covered in small "White Barnacles" mostly on it's carapace which was unusual. Generally when a turtle is very sick and emaciated, it's soft tissue such as head, neck and flippers are covered with small barnacles. So many barnacles were close to the edge of it's carapace that skin was erode away from the top of it's front flippers. Must have been very painful for this turtle to swim with the sharp edges hitting the soft tissue of it's flipper.
This little turtle looked even smaller because it was so thin, very emaciated. Blood work also showed that it may have eaten something bad...maybe a sea urchin that could have started or at least contributed to it's problem.
September 15, 2015....Barancle Bob is cleared for release. What a difference in almost 4 months of
treatment at the SC Sea Turtle Hospital
Isle of Palm County Park on Sept. 16th, Barnacle Bob is one of four rehabilitated
turtles released back into the ocean.....3 endangered species, along with Two Loggerheads from the Pawleys Island area, 1 Kemps Riidley
Two NMB Sea Turtle Patrol Volunteers attended the release
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