In spite of the best efforts by staff at the Oregon Coast Aquarium, Turkey died January 8.
An olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) that was found cold-stunned on an Oregon beach on Thanksgiving day 2017 has died.
Oregon Coast Aquarium
Turkey had a severely compromised immune system and other medical issues when she died.
The turtle, named Turkey, was brought to the Oregon Coast Aquarium with a body temperature of 59 degees Fahrenheit, well below the normal body temperature of 75 degrees for this species, emaciated and unable to dive for an extended period of time.
Want To Learn More?
Stranded Olive Ridley Turtle Found On Oregon Beach
Aquarium personnel wrote on in a blog post that staff at the aquarium had monitored her condition around the clock and efforts to feed her were largely unsuccessful despite trying to feed her three times a day over the last several weeks.
Her vitals were checked continuously and despite this, her immune system was very weak, according to the aquarium.
Oregon State University conducted a necropsy opn the turtle and confirmed that she had a systemic bacterial infection brought on by her weak immune system.
Turkey was far from her natural habitat, as sea turtles only appear on the beaches of Oregon and Washington as strandings. The aquarium had recent success with the rehabilitation and release of Lightning and Solstice, also female olive ridley sea turtles, that were found stranded in the Pacific Northwest. Their movements are being tracked on the aquarium’s website. You can follow Lightning and Solstice here.
