Fiesta upon arrival at The Turtle Hospital.

Our “party girl,” a nearly 200-lb loggerhead named Fiesta, has been through a lot these past few months.  The survivor of a boat hit, Fiesta suffered prop wounds to the middle and rear of her carapace, resulting in partial rear flipper paralysis.  Nevertheless, she continues to make tremendous progress.  Now off antibiotics, minimal wound care is one of the last steps before a possible release.  Honey is still being applied to Fiesta’s wounds to aid in the granulation of scar tissue, but we have high hopes for a future that will see this lady swimming in the wide open blue.

In order to evaluate Fiesta’s release potential and ability to adapt to the partial paralysis, a live treat was added to her tank so that we could monitor her ability to catch prey.  Check out this video and watch as Fiesta eats a lobster!