Genie

Arrival Date: March 13, 2024

Patient Profile

Name: Genie

Species: Green Sea Turtle

Weight: 5.3 pounds

Reason for visit: Cold Stunning, Lethargy, and Predatory Attack

Location Found: Transfer from Brevard Zoo, Melbourne, FL

Status Report

03/13/24: The Turtle Hospital is one of the largest sea turtle facilities in the state of Florida. This means we will help other organizations by taking in patients when their facility has reached capacity. The Brevard Zoo located in Melbourne, Florida like many facilities was reaching capacity due to Cold Stunned sea turtles arriving in large numbers. Genie was found washed ashore by a good samaritain, due to the cold stunning Genie was severely lethargic causing her to unfortunately be unable to swim away from a predator attack. Brevard Zoo performed the initial intake to stabilize Genie before she made the journey to the Florida Keys to begin her recovery. Genie is a very young Green Sea Turtle, only weighing about 5 pounds, be sure to wish her a speedy recovery during your next visit to The Turtle Hospital.

(Cold Stunning occurs when the ocean waters temperature drops too quickly before a sea turtle is able to migrate south or to warmer waters. Cold stunning lowers their body temperature resulting in extreme lethargy, loss of appetite, and loss of energy. This can place a sea turtle in danger of decline in health, predator attacks, and/or boat strikes for some examples)

04/20/24: It’s been just over a month since Genie arrived at The Turtle Hospital. Due to the predator attack Genie only has 3 flippers, but that has not slowed her down. While it will take her some time to adjust and build up strength before we can approve her for release, Genie is up for the task. Practicing her swimming skills daily in her hospital tank, and showing off to her fellow tank mate Oreo who resides in the other half of their oblong hospital tank. Rehab staff continue to monitor her health daily with routine blood work, vitamins, and proper nutrition. Great job Genie, we are so proud of your hard work!

05/25/24: Genie is a ball of energy! Rehab staff report she is continuing to improve more each day and is even a bit goofy when swimming to forage for her food. As many guests come through The Turtle Hospital to visit, they are greeted by a young and vibrant Genie who loves to show off how fast she can swim and her quick turns. Our team will continue to help Genie improve till she is just a bit bigger in size, this is to increase her survival chances. 

06/21/24: Little Genie has been doing amazing here at The Turtle Hospital. So much so we are excited to announce she will be undergoing an exam in the coming days for approval to begin working on her swim test for release! For all out patients that visit our facility they must pass a swim test in order to be approved for release into the wild. Genie has already been showing off her swimming skills in her hospital tank, and has made such improvements since the loss of her limb. Great job Genie, we can’t wait to celebrate your release soon. If you would like to join us for a turtle release, please follow our Instagram or Facebook for when we post details. 

(A swim test consists of three points to be approved for release. They must have one good eye to see, three working flippers, and be a strong swimmer to out run their predators.).

Release

After surviving a predator attack and learning how to swim with just three flippers, Genie has made a full recovery. We are proud to announce she was transferred back to the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne Florida on July 18, 2024, where she was released locally back to the ocean. While we will miss Genie,  we are overjoyed that she is back in the wild where she belongs. Swim free Genie!

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