Bubble-Butt, an adult male Green sea turtle, has been a resident at the Hospital longer than any other turtle! He arrived in March of 1989 with a deformed shell caused by a boat hit. This left him unable to dive to search for food, and caused his posterior end to bob at the surface. Because of this injury, he became known as a “Bubble-Butt.” When rehabilitation measures failed to correct his flotation problem, he became a permanent resident. In an effort to give him a more comfortable life here at the Turtle Hospital, a 2 1/2 pound lead weight has been fiberglassed to his shell. This weight counteracts his flotation problem and enables him to maintain a normal swimming posture and rest comfortably on the bottom.
Bubble-Butt must remain at the hospital because the fiberglass is only semi-permanent. If we released him back into the ocean and he lost this weight, Bubble Butt would again be unable to dive for food and would be an easy target for boaters.
Comments are closed