Grant: 23-011C
Project Title: Gulfarium C.A.R.E. Center Flexible Endoscope
Project Manager: Julie Cavin
Organization: Gulfarium C.A.R.E. Foundation (Non-Profit Organization)
Grant Amount: $25,000.00
Completion Date: 2023-11-06
Summary: The Gulfarium C.A.R.E. Foundation rehabilitates stranded sea turtles from the northern Gulf Coast of Florida and Alabama as well as cold-stunned turtles from New England. Over the last two years, admissions have drastically increased to over 100 yearly. Eighty-one of the 114 sea turtles admitted to the C.A.R.E. Center in 2022 were incidental captures from being simply foul-hooked to having ingested several circle, J, and/or treble hooks. Twenty-six of the subadult to adult patients had hooks in the esophagus or the stomach; 7 of these requiring surgery for hook removal (including 3 unsuccessful attempts) thus prolonging their rehabilitation time and releasing turtles on rare occasion with presumed embedded hooks.
This project will help purchase a Storz tele pack and veterinary videoendoscope to allow for improved visualization and examination of the esophagus and stomach of any patients with known hooks or that remain anorectic despite no radiographic abnormalities. This will decrease the time from rescue to release for some patients and will allow us to explore further for gastric abnormalities in others.
Results: Since purchasing the veterinary videoscope we have used it to remove one hook from a sub-adult loggerhead turtle. The hook was significantly embedded in the esophageal tissue near the junction to the stomach. The scope was utilized once to visualize the hook, but removal was unsuccessful with the instruments available. We obtained welding wire and were able to use that through the instrument port to create a strong gasping tool. The hook removal was successful during the second attempt.