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Oregon Coast Aquarium Continues To Rehabilitate Tropical Sea Turtle

Corinne Boyer

Solstice, the olive ridley turtle found last year on a Washington beach is doing well and steadily recovering at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. She’s living in a special warehouse which is part of the aquarium’s sea turtle rehabilitation center.

Solstice isn’t on display to the public. Anyone who enters the rehab facility has to dip their shoes in a foot bath, to prevent bringing in outside germs. The turtle’s temporary home is an 8 foot round pool. She was asleep as we peered into her tank but soon woke up.

Assistant Curator of Fishes and Invertebrates Stuart Clausen has been in charge of Solstice’s care.
 

Clausen: “As we started coming in contact with these animals a little bit more frequently, we partnered with US Fish and Wildlife and they were actually able to find funding to construct an area of our facility for sea turtle rehabilitation.”

Solstice is lucky. Although she was cold shocked when she arrived, she didn’t have any injuries. When sea turtles become hypothermic they can easily be struck by drift wood or marine debris.

Clausen: “When sea turtles are first brought in they are actually dry docked. They’re not actually put in water at all whatsoever because the water forces them to be more active than they would be normally.”

Clausen says their temperature and activity has to increase gradually so there is no risk of physical shock. Solstice now spends her time swimming and eating herring, squid and shrimp.

Clausen: “We actually monitor and manipulate the air temperature to match their body temperature. We do that with a thermostat and space heaters for the most part—very large, industrial grade space heaters. We will bring them up in body temperature no more than five degrees over a 24 hour period.”

Solstice was reintroduced to water after her body temperature reached the mid 70s. Her room is humid and balmy. As she swims towards Clausen her shell sticks out of the water. At some point air became trapped underneath her shell. Turtles are negatively buoyant which allows them to dive below the water’s surface for food and to protect themselves from predators. Solstice is half as buoyant as she was when she first arrived, but has no problem plunging to the bottom of her tank just before breakfast.
 

Clausen: “It’s all part of that thing we’re just bringing her along slowly, but surely. Good sweetheart.”

Although Solstice weighs 44 pounds and counting and continues to progress, Clausen is hesitant to predict when she’ll be released. He says rehabilitated turtles have just as good a chance at survival as turtles that have never come into contact with humans. Eventually Clausen and the Oregon Coast Aquarium team will have to say goodbye to Solstice, but she'll be in their care for the next several months.