Animal Diaries Archive

Green Sea Turtle

25 November 2005

Not only are we luckiest department in the Zoo because we work with reptiles, recently we've had the privilege of helping to look after a Green Sea Turtle also. Shelley is a patient at the Australian Wildlife Hospital and was extremely lucky to be rescued by the hospital staff, because she has been receiving VIP treatment ever since. Due to the hospital being inundated by sick and injured animals, we reptile keepers quickly put our hand up to help out with this gorgeous girl.

Shelley was found very tired and weak on a local beach. She was unable to submerge and therefore was washed ashore by the tide. It was soon discovered that she was suffering from a gas build-up in her intestines, which is sometimes caused by the ingestion of a foreign object.

As you can imagine, she was very depressed. When an animal is feeling down it can be hard to make them better, so we decided maybe she'd like some company. The reptile team began therapy sessions with her, offering her food, swimming with her and giving her lots of cuddles. She was so responsive the first time we tried this that we made it part of our daily routine.

Shelley's vet, Dr Jon Hanger, has been doing everything he can to make her better, and with the help of us spending time with her and swimming with her, she is definitely showing signs of improvement.We'll keep you posted on her progress.

Good luck Shelley!