Rescuing a Green Sea Turtle

On June 21st, 2000 on a weekly patrol, the staff of the Marine Park (Nature Foundation of Sint Maarten) encountered a Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) floating on a large tar/oil spill close to Proselyte Reef outside of Great Bay. The staff of the Marine Park immediately went to action to save the injured animal from certain death. The Green Turtle that was encountered seems to have been caught in the tar spill while trying to feed. Usually smaller fish gather around floating debris in the open ocean, and the turtle probably was looking for some food. Unfortunately the more the turtle tried to escape, the more it got stuck in the thick black tar that measured over 10-15 ft in length.

Green Turtles are not usually found in the Northern Caribbean but mostly closer to Florida and the Southern Caribbean. This can lead to believe that the turtle was probably floating on the tar for days without food. When the Marine Park staff found it, it was completely covered in tar and seemed very difficult to save this endangered animal. However with some luck and extra effort they were able to free it, and bring it to shore to clean it from the excess oil. The turtle seemed to be so stressed that it did not even struggle when it was brought to the shore at the Great Bay Marina. With the help from Great Bay Marina staff and other onlookers the tedious task began of freeing it from the oil. (The turtle was covered so heavily in the tar that its hind legs were not visible except for the black tar that surrounded it). The excess tar was removed by hand, and the turtle was subsequently brought to the Cole Bay Animal Hospital of the Neth. Antilles.

The animal Hospital helped place the turtle in a confined area for the lengthy job of removing the sticky tar from its body. The turtle was cleaned with mineral oils and a soft detergent. The staff of the Marine Park kept busy with the cleaning process for the remainder of the day to make sure that the tar would not affect the turtle’s sensitive organs. Usually, turtles are very sensitive animals that tend to acquire infections by very small cuts, compared to humans that are less susceptible to infections. Extra care was taken not to damage the turtle anymore than when it was found. At one point the turtle seemed to enjoy the scrubbing and polishing that it was given although as soon as it regained some strength, it began to move more vigorously and became a little feisty.

Extra attention was given to the mouth and nose area, as well as the tail end. A large amount of tar, (the size of a tennis ball) was removed from its mouth, and the nose also had some tar removed. If this tar is not removed from the mouth and nose area, the turtle will not be able to feed and will certainly not survive in the wild. The same goes for the tail end; the legs should be cleaned to move freely and the tail should be free so that it will be able to release urine and can lay eggs.

After the turtle was cleaned from excess tar, a quick rubdown was given to remove the oil from the skin. A soft detergent was used to clean it, and it was ready to be placed back in the water. By this time, the Green Turtle regained some strength and was becoming more agitated. So at this time it was decided that it was ready to go back in the water, and be released close to where it was found.

Initially, the turtle seemed to have problems submerging in the water and kept floating on the surface, but a few minutes later, it was on its way down not to be seen again. The chances of survival for this specific turtle are not very good due to the overexposure and stress that it had to endure, however utmost care was given to provide as much support as possible not to damage it. The Marine Park staff will keep a close eye on the activities of this turtle in case it can be located again close to our coastal waters.

The tar/oil spill that was found, could have been floating on the surface for weeks and most probably came from one of the surrounding islands. Unfortunately, not much can be done to prevent such a catastrophe from happening, except to report it to the proper authorities; either the Sint Maarten Ports Authorities, Coast Guard or the Marine Park.

A short history on Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) reveals that they tend to grow up to 230 kgs ( 500 lbs.) and are generally green in color. The head is small in comparison to other sea turtles and the biting edge of the lower jaw is serrated. Adult shell lengths range in size from 36-43 inches and weights average 200-300 lbs. Primarily a tropical herbivorous species, the juveniles frequently occur in Florida waters, especially in areas abundant in sea grasses. The Green Turtle is endangered and is protected worldwide by the CITES (Convention of International Trade of Endangered species).

The Marine Park staff (Nature Foundation of Sint Maarten) would like to thank the staff of the Great Bay Marina, Chesterfields Restaurant, and Animal Hospital of the Netherlands Antilles for their help and support in this important rescue attempt.

If you ever encounter any marine wildlife in need of assistance, or threatening situation that can harm or injure wildlife, please do not hesitate to contact the Marine Park of Sint Maarten at Tel: 542-0267 so they can keep protecting our important environment of Sint Maarten.

Staff of the Marine Park of Sint Maarten
Nature Foundation of Sint Maarten
Philipsburg, Sint Maarten.

July 20th, 2000
UPDATE: Rescuing a Green Turtle

"I just wanted to let you know that we found the Green turtle that we rescued a few weeks ago. It seemed to be doing fine . When we were out on patrol last week, we saw it swimming close to the Great Bay area (close to where we found it), and we moved the boat closer for a better view. Although we cannot be 100% sure that it was the turtle, we have a pretty good idea that it was the one, due to the size and appearance of it, as well as the fact that we do not find many Green Turtles surrounding our island. We followed it for a little while, however it disappeared shortly to the bottom of the sea. We will keep tracking the turtle if we are lucky enough to see it again, however we believe that it might appear once again.

The Nature Foundation is very content of the situation since initially we did not know whether the poor creature would survive or not. We hope to be able to do this again if possibilities permit us to do so.

If you have any questions or comments, we welcome your thoughts, so please do not hesitate to contact us at the Nature Foundation SXM."

Andy Caballero
Nature Foundation of Sint Maarten
Philipsburg, Sint Maarten.

Rescuing a Green Sea Turtle - June 22, 2000
On June 21st, 2000 on a weekly patrol, the staff of the Marine Park (Nature Foundation of Sint Maarten) encountered a Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) floating on a large tar/oil spill close to Proselyte Reef........

    Update to: Rescuing a Green Sea Turtle - July 20, 2000
    I just wanted to let you know.... rescued Green turtle sited....

Reef Monitor Update - Year End 1999
Together with Reefkeeper International, a non-profit research group, the Nature Foundation is investigating in what condition the coral reefs are in, and what kind of corals you can find around the island by implementing a coral inventory......