Hunter, a 177 lb. Loggerhead, has been rehabilitating at the hospital since his admittance on August 8, 2012. Hunter came in underweight and suffering from lockjaw due to the ingestion of 3 fishing hooks. This ailment prevents Hunter from being able to open his beak by himself. Both Hunter and the rehabilitation staff have been working diligently towards getting the beak to open.

Hunter’s beak loosens!

After over 2 months, we have seen Hunter taking big steps toward recovery. This male Loggerhead has had two surgical procedures and is now free of all but 1 and a half fishing hooks. These final hook remains were too deeply embedded to be safely removed, but luckily will dissolve away on their own. Hunter receives physical therapy twice a day to stretch and hopefully un-lock his jaw. The turtle requires only minimal assitance to get food inside of his mouth, nothing compared to his first day of rehab! Every day, Hunter is able to open up a little more, and the day when he is able to feed on his own is in the near future. Stay tuned!