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Volunteer Illustrator Needed
Sea Turtle, Inc. is looking for a talented book illustrator for
a nearly complete children’s book telling the story of our
famous one-flippered sea turtle named “Allison”. Much
of the important work here in our rescue center hospital is handled
by gifted volunteers who need a way to channel their love for these
beautiful ancient creatures. The writing portion of Allison’s
story has been completed. Only the illustrations remain to be done.
Allison is the only sea turtle in the world with a stabilizing swim
prosthesis. She is now an ambassador for sea turtle conservation
and that makes her story worthwhile reading. The book covers an
exciting mix of “plausible fiction” with ancient native
North American Indian legend, blended with factual material giving
the book a strong emphasis on conservation science.
If you would like to volunteer your talent as an illustrator and
be part of a team of fourteen other champions of this remarkable
little sea turtle, we would love to have you send us a sample of
your stuff. The reward will be a printed acknowledgement in the
book and your picture on the credit page with the other talented
Allison heroes.
There are 72 illustrations to go with the book narrative.
For a description of the scene we have chosen for candidates to
illustrate please click below.
This
contest will run until the end of February and the chosen artist
will be contacted within the first week of March.
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| Update
January 15, 2010
Atlantic
Green Cold Stunning
When
water temperatures drop quickly in the Gulf of Mexico sea turtles
can become "cold stunned". This refers to their systems
becoming so cold that they become hypothermic. The turtles will
then float and wash ashore. With the help of volunteers these cold
sea turtles are rescued and brought to our facility. Sea Turtle,
Inc. staff gives the turtles steroids and slowly warm them back
up. A photo section has been created for the recent stranding event.
As
of 1/10/10 we have had 102 Atlantic green sea turtles wash ashore
due to cold stunning. 64 alive sea turtles are in the care of Sea
Turtle, Inc. and the Coastal Studies Lab on South Padre Island.
As
of 1/12/10 we have a total of 110 Atlantic greens that have stranded
due to the cold stunning. Of those, around 70 are alive. Today at
1:30 pm. 45 of the turtles were released back to the wild. All released
turtles were tagged with passive tagging devices. In the front left
flipper of each is a metal "monel" tag and a PIT (Passive
Integrated Transponder). The PIT tag is a small microchip. A second
metal monel tag was also placed on the rear flipper of each sea
turtle. We will not be able to track the animals with these tags.
As
of 1/15/10 a total of 127 Atlantic greens have been affected by
the cold waters. Of those 83 have survived and 44 are dead. We have
released 70 of the surviving sea turtles. These numbers are for
South Padre Island area only. Along the Texas coast the estimation
is that over 400 Atlantic greens are "cold stunned". Of
that total, around 150 sea turtles are estimated to be alive (including
the 83 from down here). Many of the dead sea turtles are in remote
locations and are difficult to retrieve.
 aaaaaa
As
of 1/17/10, the 15 Atlantic greens still in our care are doing well.
Most of them are eating on their own. If the weather continues to
stay warm we will be releasing more on Monday the 18th. For the
most recent information on the cold stunned sea turtles please call
us at (956)761-4511.
Sea
Turtle, Inc. would like to thank everyone who has helped with this
event. Without the care and time of volunteers we could not have
had such a successful recovery of the sea turtles.
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| Update
December 1, 2009
Need
A Gift For That Person That Has Everything?
Adopt
A Sea Turtle or Hatchling!
You
can adopt one of our 5 resident sea turtles for $30. This will help
care for the sea turtle for one month. You will receive a photo,
certificate, information on that sea turtle and a free gift!
We
also have an Adopt-A Hatchling program to fund the 2010 nesting
season for $11. You will receive a photo, certificate, informative
pamphlet and a coconut charm.
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Update
October 29, 2009
Come
to A Sea Turtle Release!
Aggie
the Loggerhead is ready to be returned to the Gulf of Mexico. How
do you join in on this fun event? Come to Isla Blanca Park at 4:30
pm on Wednesday, November 4th. We will be meeting up at the North
Pavilion inside Isla Park (North means the one farthest from the
Jetties). We will be letting this 160 lb Loggerhead walk herself
out into the Gulf. She has been in the care of Sea Turtle, Inc.
since August. She had pneumonia which affected her buoyancy and
was severely emaciated. She is now swimming and diving like a pro!
Her rescuers will be attendance at the event ~ don’t miss
out on this unique experience!
If
you are not sure where Isla Blanca Park is located, it is at the
southmost end of the island. Click here for a map.
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Update
October 9, 2009
Buddy
The Hawksbill Goes to Columbus Zoo in Ohio!
Early
Wednesday morning Buddy the non-releasable hawksbill was boxed
up and sent up to Ohio. This little guy was attacked by a predator
as a baby and has been a resident at Sea Turtle, Inc for a number
of years. Recently, thanks to help from the local Gladys Porter
Zoo an adoption was set up. The Columbus Zoo has taken over the
care of little Buddy. We received a special box from the zoo and
sent him up north via American Airlines. Below is a link to the
new photo section of how to prepare a sea turtle for air transport.
We are sad to see Buddy go – but on the bright side he will
now reside in a huge tank with lots of new places to explore!
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| Update
October 1, 2009
Arribada
Photos from Rancho Nuevo, Mexico
If
you are reading this and wondering, "What is an arribada?"
then you are not alone! An “arribada” refers to a rarely
seen behavior of the Kemp's ridley sea turtle. The word literally
means "the arrival" in Spanish. When this species of turtle
comes ashore to lay its eggs they really do make their presence
known. The Kemp’s ridley sea turtles nest from mid April –
August on windy days in the company of a few thousand girlfriends.
This type of group nesting in broad daylight is a unique trait to
the ridleys. During the 2009 season, on the main nesting beach in
Tamaulipas, Mexico (about two hundred miles south of the Texas/Mexico
border). An
estimated 5,000 turtles came ashore within a 2 day time period.
Click
the link below to see some photographs taken by the biological team
at the Rancho Nuevo beach.
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|
Update
September 15, 2009
Allison
is in People Magazine!
 
Make
sure to get a copy of People Magazine in the above issue! Allison
and her prosthetic jacket are on page 134 of the magazine. Also
featured are some other amazing prosthetics which have been designed
for injured animals such as eagles, dogs and dolphins. We are very
excited about the coverage! Get your copy while you can!
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Come
to a Sea Turtle Release!
Bowser
& Wady the Atlantic greens are ready to be released from the
care of Sea Turtle, Inc. This release will be open to the public
through American Diving.
Reservations
should be made through American Diving by calling (956)761-4243.
The
release will be on Saturday, September 19th.
The
boat will leave the dock at 5:30 pm sharp, so you should arrive
early. The cost to go on this sunset dolphin cruise/turtle release
is $16.00 for adults and $13.00 for children.
American
Diving docks is located at the southern end of South Padre Island
in the Sea Ranch Marina across from Schlitterbahn Water Park. Click
below for a map to American Diving.
Click
here for directions to American Diving.
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Update
July 28, 2009
Newest
Addition the the Sea Turtle, Inc. Crew!
Sea
Turtle, Inc. is proud to welcome Ila Rachel to the world. Our staff
educator, Lucia and her husband Ben have had their first child!
Rachel was born on July 18, 2009. She weighed 9.0 lbs! This is the
first baby to be born into the Sea Turtle, Inc. family that wasn't
a sea turtle! We were all very pleased to hear that Rachel did not
have flippers and a beak!
More
photos of the new family will be posted shortly!
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Update
July 24, 2009
Sea
Turtle Nesting Season is Coming To An End
South
Padre Island and Boca Chica beach patrols are coming to an end for
the 2009 nesting season. The interns will be heading back to either
school or new jobs within the next few weeks. We had a great season
and were able to match the 2008 nesting record for the Texas coast.
On South Padre Island we found 28 nests and on Boca Chica there
were 9. All 37 were Kemp's ridley sea turtle nests. In addition
to those 37, 5 in situ nests were also located. These are nests
which we did not locate until after they hatched out in the wild.
These nests are not protected from predators and have a lower success
rate than the nests we place in our corral.
Over
the next few weeks there is a possibility of Atlantic Green or Loggerhead
sea turtles nesting on South Padre Island. We will be extending
our patrols to look for these possible nesters. These turtle species
are much larger than the Kemp's ridley. The tracks of these turtles
are much easier to spot due to the higher body weight and size.
Below is a photograph from a nesting Atlantic green we had in 2007.
We are really hoping for some nesting Atlantic greens or loggerheads!
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June
16, 2009 Update
The
First Babies Have Hatched!
The
first 5 nests have emerged and released out to the wild. The very
first public hatchling release was on June 13 at 7:00 am. There
were at least 400 people attending the event. A total of 297 hatchlings
were released on that saturday morning. We are anticipating more
nests to hatch within the next week. For the most up to date information
on the status of the nests please call Sea Turtle, Inc. at 9:00
pm. We will update the voicemail each night with the probability
of a public hatchling release.
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April
8, 2009 News
Media
Release Day for Allison the Atlantic Green Sea Turtle
Sea
Turtle with only one flipper able to swim again aided by a stabilizing
fin and scuba jacket
Video
of Allison swimming now available!
Click
to view a video of Allison swimming in her stabilizing jacket.
For
photos of the Allison & her jacket, please check the photopage.
Contact:
Jeff George, Curator, Sea Turtle Inc. 956.761.4511
South
Padre Island, TX - Today, “Allison”, a five year old
Green sea turtle missing three flippers will be enclosed in a snug
black neoprene “ninja” jacket with a long Velcro enclosure.
(photo). A Sea Turtle, Inc. (STI) staff person wearing scrubs with
“Sea Turtle Hospital” emblazoned across the back will
adjust a carbon fiber “fin” that runs along the turtles
back extending well beyond the shell. A second staffer will then
carefully lift the 27 pound turtle and slip it into a 4 foot deep
tank. Today’s public demonstration will document a major quality
of life change for the turtle. Stress free, Allison now swims and
dives with ease.
“Allison”
stranded in June 2005 about 12 miles north of Sea Turtle Inc. on
South Padre Island a victim of a shark attack that took 3 flippers.
She escaped euthanasia only by pleas from staff and interns. The
turtle has only the right front flipper and until now has been limited
to moving in tight 360 degree circles in a tank with no more than
10” of water.
There has been
a lot of effort over the last couple of years to develop a prosthesis
for the turtle with one attempt at a fake rear flipper that was
unsuccessful. Thinking outside the box, Tom Wilson, a 2008 summer
intern at STI began observing “Allison” in her tank
sketching her movements. He noted that if the force of the thrust
of her only remaining flipper could be controlled, maybe it could
be channeled into moving her forward.
Discussions
with STI Curator Jeff George and Gladys Porter Zoo (Brownsville,
TX) veterinarian Dr. Tom DeMaar produced the go ahead for the attempt.
Permission was granted mainly because the effort would be totally
non-invasive or harassing to the turtle.
Wilson laid
his own scuba jacket over a drawing of “Allison’s”
measurements. A pattern was cut and sewn by a Sea Turtle Inc. volunteer.
A wooden rudder was attached and weighted, and the prototype was
successfully tested. Work immediately began on a more streamline
version of the jacket for today’s demonstration.
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|
| February
17, 2009 News |
| Unique
Sea Turtle Research Project Needs Funding |
Injured
Sea Turtle "Allison" to get Prosthesis. |
Sea
Turtle, Inc., The Gladys Porter Zoo, and the University of Texas
Dental Branch at Houston have formed a partnership to create a workable
prosthesis for a one flippered green sea turtle. A sea turtle prosthesis
has never been done. To contribute toward the medical expenses for
“Allison” a three year old green sea turtle, click on
the icon below.
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ADOPT ALLISON THE GREEN SEA TURTLE *
Adoptions
are a donation made to care for and feed a turtle for one month.
Sea Turtle, Inc. spends approximately $1 per day per turtle for
human quality seafood and romaine lettuce. You will receive a photo
of Allison, a short biography of her, general information about
green sea turtles and Sea Turtle, Inc. and a small gift. For the
most recent photographs or news on Allison, please check the photo
section within the "Current Residents" section. Click
here for photos of Allison!
Adopt A Turtle online via Credit
Card
using the secure PayPal service
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