Caring for Sea Turtles

Dr. Heather Barron with a veterinary assistant conduct an exam on a Hawksbill sea turtle. MICHAEL ALBANESE / COURTESY PHOTOS

Loggerhead Marinelife Center has become the first sea turtle hospital in South Florida to install an on-site, cutting-edge computer tomography machine. Donated by The Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation, the new machine will increase LMC’s ability to treat more sick and injured sea turtles efficiently and less intrusively.

CT imaging is quickly becoming the standard of care for ill or injured sea turtles, offering a level of detail that cannot be seen using other methods. CT scans can produce 3D renderings that reveal lesions or tumors missed by radiographs or ultrasounds.

“The CT machine allows us to make faster and more accurate diagnoses, leading to more effective treatment and better outcomes for our patients,” says Dr. Heather Barron, Chief Science Officer at Loggerhead Marinelife Center.

Each year, hundreds of sea turtles are examined and treated at LMC’s Animal Care Center Center. With the addition of the new CT machine, Dr. Barron will be able to successfully treat and release more sea turtles with fibropapillomatosis. This highly contagious virus causes the growth of benign but obstructive tumors within and outside the sea turtle’s body, leading to death if not removed.

Loggerhead Marinelife Center become the first sea turtle hospital in South Florida to install an on-site tomography machine.

LMC is now one of only nine hospitals in the state of Florida capable of treating fibropapillomatosis.

For more information on Loggerhead Marinelife Center and its rehabilitation efforts, visit marinelife.org/rehabilitation. ¦

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