Sea
Turtle Biology and Conservation
CTURTLE Forum
Subject:
Loggerhead without upper jaw
Dates: May 11 – May 20, 2007
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Dear
colleagues,
Almost
18 months ago we found a loggerhead turtle with a terrible
wound (maybe a propeller) on the head. The specimen had the
upper jaw completely removed and it was unable to eat. Furthermore,
several barnacles (in the Adriatic sea they appear to be very
infestant) were grown also on the internal of the mouth. Two
surgical operations were needed to rebuild tissues destroyed
in the impact. Now the situation appears as you can see in
the following picture:
http://www.seaturtle.org/cgi-bin/imagelib/index.pl?photo=3267
After
a period when the turtle needed to be forced feeded it became
then able to autonomously feed. We are thinking about its
release at sea, but we have doubts. Since its lower jaw is
open and not covered by the upper jaw we fear that barnacles
can invade again its always-open mouth.
What should we do with this turtle?
We would like to have your opinion about its possible release.
Thank
you for your help.
Marco
Affronte
Responsabile Scientifico
Fondazione Cetacea ONLUS
via Ascoli Piceno - 47838 Riccione (RN) ITALY
+39 0541 691557 (phone) / +39 0541 475830 (fax)
Skype: affrofc
http://fondazionecetacea.org
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The
survivability of sea turtles is uncanny, isn't it. I'd euthanize
this specimen.
Charles
LeBuff
Caretta Research Inc.
Charles_LeBuff@comcast.net
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I
agree with Charles. Release would likely set this animal up
for a slow, painful death. It's a sad business sometimes.
Dave
Addison
Co-Director Environmental Science & Lead Biologist
The Conservancy of Southwest Florida
239.403.4230
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Marco,
I
would not release the turtle; he wouldn't have the crushing
capabilities to eat crustaceans. I disagree with Charles about
euthanasia, if the turtle is doing well in captivity and can
eat dead fish or squid on his own or even if hand fed why
euthanize him. If you can't keep the turtle as a permanent
resident, maybe there is another facility willing to take
him in. I know we would consider taking him if need be. We
have turtles that can't be released due to various injuries
and they adapt very well in captivity. We even have a turtle
that is missing most of his jaw from a boat hit and is non-releasable,
but does very well with us.
Tammy
Langer
Director Sea Turtle Nesting and Sea Turtle Rehabilitation
Clearwater Marine Aquarium
249 Windward Passage
Clearwater, Florida 33767
727-441-1790, ext. 224
turtletrax@hotmail.com
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Why
not send it to one of the many AZA accredited public aquariums?
The animal would receive the care it needs, would not become
re-infested, and would serve as an obvious display animal
demonstrating the continuing conflict between wildlife and
human encroachment.
Malcolm L. McCallum
Assistant Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
Texas A&M University Texarkana
2600 Robison Rd.
Texarkana, TX 75501
O: 1-903-223-3134
H: 1-903-791-3843
Homepage: https://www.eagle.tamut.edu/faculty/mmccallum/index.html
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Marco
- Congratulations on the surgery!
Before
you take the advice that was previously given (quoted in the
following message), I suggest you get some expert opinions
as to the potential quality of life this turtle would have
in captivity if it can't be released.
If
it can't be released, in an appropriate setting its predicament
may show people how human activities (namely propellers) can
cause untold harm to turtles.
Since
this turtle is now eating on its own, has flourished in captivity,
and you are considering its release, it seems totally unnecessary
to kill it. Unless it cannot have a decent quality of life
in captivity, to kill it now seems to defeat the object of
rescuing in the first place (and a waste of surgical skill).
Juanita
Ladyman, PhD.
Botanical and Ecological Consultant
Centennial, CO
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Marco,
The
comments by Juanita Ladyman are unrealistic and are emotionally
charged.
This poor animal should have been euthanized at the get-go.
What quality of life can this creature expect and what would
its survival potential really be if liberated? I can't express
my opinion simply enough: NIL!
Granted,
your surgical skills probably improved, but in this instance
this severely handicapped loggerhead shouldn't be allowed
to exist in a circus sideshow atmosphere. The public can be
educated as to what a severely injured sea turtle looks like
through photographs and not through the exhibition of a live
disfigured animal's misfortune -- to me it smacks of cruelty.
Charles
LeBuff
Caretta Research Inc.
Charles_LeBuff@comcast.net
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I
don't disagree with you.
Malcolm L. McCallum
Assistant Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
Texas A&M University Texarkana
2600 Robison Rd.
Texarkana, TX 75501
O: 1-903-223-3134
H: 1-903-791-3843
Homepage: https://www.eagle.tamut.edu/faculty/mmccallum/index.html
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I
strongly disagree with Charles!
Tammy
Langer
Director of Sea Turtle Nesting and Rehabilitation
Clearwater Marine Aquarium
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If
the turtle (or any animal) is in pain or not functional, I
can see euthanizing it. If this creature can live by being
taken care of in a protected environment, and there are those
willing to do it, who is to say that is cruel? To refer to
it's retention in a protected environment as being ".....allowed
to exist in a circus sideshow atmosphere" is being very
negative and not very accurate in many cases. Just because
something is not perfect is not a reason to kill it. (History
lesson anyone?)
I
also don't agree with the evaluation of Juanita Ladyman's
suggestions as "emotionally charged". They seemed
quite reasonable to me and believe me, I have been around
emotionally charged situations and remarks.
Jerry
Monahan
BioTech-Retire
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Marco,
Certainly
one should consider the opinions of those in favour of euthanasia,
and weigh them equally with opinions such as my own. I encourage
you to do so. However, Juanita Ladyman's suggestion was that
BEFORE choosing to follow the suggestion to euthanize you
"get some expert opinions as to the potential quality
of life this turtle would have in captivity if it can't be
released." I don't find this to be a particularly namby-pamby
suggestion, myself. As for being unrealistic, I also suspect
getting said expert opinions on the matter is not nearly so
difficult as all that.
A
fairly obvious point, made in a brief paper by the Sea Turtle
Protection Society of Greece (on amputation and treatment
of necrotic limbs, a different concern but relevantly similar):
"...subsequent release to a wild population is preferable
to a lifetime in captivity. To just treat and rehabilitate
turtles to the wild with the best medical care available is
not the long term solution to handle or reduce the incidence
[of injuries]...action needs to be taken to prevent [the injuries
themselves].... The rescue, rehabilitation and release of
each sea turtle from the STRC makes people become aware of
the plight of the sea turtle and its plight in today?s anthropogenic
dominated environment."
The
question is whether or not rehabilitation and life in captivity
can (or should attempt to) accomplish this as well. Obviously
it is not preferable
to release. But in what ways would it not be preferable, specific
to this case? There are complicated issues with leatherbacks
of which I am aware, reducing handling and transportation
stress is problematic, etc. Mr. LeBuff expresses concern about
a circus side-show environment. I think...well, that is a
concern...what would that mean in this case? What would the
stress factors of captivity be? Would the turtle be likely
to injure itself, as in the example of a captured leatherback
in Israel who, while under medical supervision, constantly
tried to swim west and injured its beak? I don't recall where
I read about that instance, so I can unfortunately not refer
you to it. Also, it is specific to a leatherback turtle, which
of course is different.
While
there is something to be said for making people aware of the
plight of the sea turtle, and of this type of tragic injury,
I am simply unsure as to how one can measure things like disorientation,
trauma, a sort of, well, depressed state in physical terms,
etc. I do not think that the value of a human shocked-by-the-horribleness
response should outweigh the value of quality of life for
the turtle. I would like to think, as I believe most of us
would, that a good life for this turtle could be possible
in captivity.
Perhaps Mr. LeBuff's rather emotionally charged response stems
from experiences he has had in this realm, ones that lead
him to believe otherwise. But I hope that some other experts
on the matter will weigh in on this, since sea turtles, after
all, do not respond to the world in the same way we do. My
fear would be that with all good intentions, the turtle would
not be well.
Could
we have some more responses re: quality of life of loggerheads
in permanent captivity? Perhaps some helpful examples, data,
observations, and experiences, as well as learned lessons?
Renee
Holland
Atlanta GA
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Dear
all:
I wish to chime in with the discussion on the release of the
jaw-crushed rehabilitated turtle. First off, I take my hat
off to those who worked so hard reconstructing this turtle's
jaw. What you did is miles from being even remotely comparable
in modern times, and I hereby salute you. The fact your turtle
survived this ordeal is thanks to none but yourselves, and
I am amazed that that was not one of the first comments I
saw online. How this turtle will do in the real world is debatable.
As some point out, it might not make it. But what if it does?
What then, eh? Are all you people who were such naysayers
going to eat your own garbage? Give some people some credit
where due. They saw a turtle in need and helped it, and all
you could to was pour scorn on the process. Shame on you.
I, for one, think it is admirable that people want to help,
in any way they can. If the turtle does not make it, well
so be it, but if it does, it will only be because these folk
put in the effort where the rest of you would have euthanased
it. Again. Shame on you. It does not take a turtle to rehabilitate
a population. It takes the collective efforts of people willing
to help. Maybe they are not all great scientists with an in-depth
understanding of turtle biology, but if they aren't allowed
to make a difference or acknowledged for what they believe
in, who will be? A turtle a day keeps the sky the man away,
so my granny told me, and I hope the day-to-day folk out there
continue to have a heart for what they do, rather than being
rebuked for wanting to save a life.
Nick
Dr.
Nicolas J. Pilcher
Co-Chair IUCN SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group
Executive Director
Marine Research Foundation
136 Lorong Pokok Seraya 2
Taman Khidmat
88450 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
Malaysia
Telephone:
++ 60 88 386136
Fax: ++ 60 88 387136
Email: npilcher@mrf-asia.org
Website: http://www.mrf-asia.org
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CTURTLE
listmembers,
I
do volunteer work with our state’s Department of Natural
Resources. They have animals that are used for educational
purposes at events around the state. The animals are non-releasable.
Most of them were severely injured as a result of an accident
with a vehicle or due to some other injury (usually human-caused).
They are very well cared for and live long and tranquil lives.
Most importantly, they help to educate the public. When people
see a beautiful, otherwise healthy eagle with a missing wing
resulted from a gunshot wound, or a blind owl that was hit
by a car, or a turtle that suffered damage to a limb when
struck by a car, a lesson is usually learned right on the
spot. Yes something was lost, but something can also be gained,
and that is an immediate awareness in the cause and effect
of recless action as well as perhaps a greater appreciation
for all of life.
So
my question is, why shouldn’t this sea turtle survive
in an appropriate setting (an aquarium?) where it can help
to educate the public and at the same time live out the remainder
of its life in relative tranquillity?
Thanks,
Rudy
Benavides
State Department of Natural Resources (USA)
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I
am curious what role this could play in its ability to mate
(didn't hear if it was male or female. Do the males use their
mouth at all to grab the females? If so, this individual might
be incapable of reproducing but capable of causing disruption
of reproduction between other turtles.
Just a thought.
Malcolm L. McCallum
Assistant Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
Texas A&M University Texarkana
2600 Robison Rd.
Texarkana, TX 75501
O: 1-903-223-3134
H: 1-903-791-3843
Homepage: https://www.eagle.tamut.edu/faculty/mmccallum/index.html
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