Roseleigh
Roseleigh
Arrival Date: March 20, 2024
Patient Profile
Name: Roseleigh
Species: Green Sea Turtle
Weight: 12 pounds
Reason for visit: Fibropapillomatosis (FP) and Entanglement
Location Found: Islamorada Key, FL
Status Report
03/20/24: while out enjoying a day of paddleboarding local Islamorada Key resident found Roseleigh entangled in a fishing line around her neck struggling to swim. Roseleigh arrived at our facility lethargic and sick with Fibropapillomatosis (FP). Rehab staff quickly removed the line around her neck and got to work to begin intake diagnostics and creating a care plan to help get Roseleigh on the road to recovery. Stay tuned for further updates on Roseleigh’s journey.
3/26/24: Roseleigh is adjusting well to her hospital tank and is even eating better during feeding times. Rehab staff report she is a wonderful patient during her wound care exams and sits well as the rehab staff apply topical medications to help soothe the injured areas. Dr. Norton, our resident veterinarian, has requested Roseleigh receive a CT scan to assist in understanding the extent of her Fibropapillomatosis (FP) tumors. This diagnostic will help Dr. Norton understand how much of her soft tissue both internal and external is affected. In the meantime, Roseleigh will continue to receive wound care and additional support to prepare her for the road to come in becoming tumor free.
04/03/24: Dr. Norton has approved Roseleigh for Fibropapillomatosis (FP) tumor removal surgery. Due to the extent of her tumors, this surgery is scheduled for mid May to help Roseleigh continue to build up strength to tackle this procedure. Rehab staff will continue to monitor her status with daily bloodwork, medications to keep her comfortable, and a nutritious diet to keep her immune system strong. Keep up the hard work Roseleigh, you’re doing great!
05/16/24: Roseleigh appetite has increased drastically allowing her to gain some much needed weight in the past weeks. Today Roseleigh will undergo her first Fibropapillomatosis (FP) surgery for the removal of some of the larger tumors located on her neck and under flipper space (under arm in humans). By removing these larger and cumbersome masses, Roseleigh will soon be able to rest more comfortably. Rehab staff will stay by her side through the procedure and continue to monitor her after as well. See you in recovery Roseleigh!
06/14/24: Roseleigh has had a very smooth recovery from her last surgery, at this time she now only has the remaining ones on her eyes to remove. This week Dr. Brooke from the University of Florida will be visiting to help in restoring her eyesight. Dr. Brooke is one of the lead veterinarians at the University of Florida in their Sea Turtle department who specializes in internal medicine. Roseleigh is a very good patient and cannot wait for her to be tumor free. Stay tuned to know the results of hopefully her final surgery.
06/20/24: Today we have wonderful news, Roseleigh is tumor free! Dr. Brooke successfully removed all the remaining tumors on her eyes and is currently recovering very well. Roseleigh will receive medicated eye drops for the coming 8 weeks to ensure they continue to heal and prevent regrowth of the masses in this sensitive area. Roseleigh is now just steps away from returning back out to sea, She will soon go into the Observation Period, during this time the rehab team will monitor her more closely with more frequent diagnostics and exams to ensure there is no regrowth of tumors. Fibropapillomatosis (FP) has a 30% chance of regrowth. Once Roseleigh passes her Observation Period, she will go on to practice for her Swim Test. This test is completed of three things for them to return to the wild, they must have: 1 good eye, 3 strong flippers, and be a fast swimmer to out run their main predator- Sharks. Roseleigh is already ahead of the game with 4 strong flippers and an amazing swimmer. We just need to ensure her eyes heal well and she soon will be approved to return back to the wild. Great job rehab team and our veterinarians Dr, Norton and visiting veterinarian Dr. Brooke for all their hard work. Make sure to give this team some praise during your next visit to The Turtle Hospital.
Did you know Sea Turtles can swim up to 30-35 mph to outrun their predators? Sea Turtles swim in short sprints at this speed to evade predators, and will return to their slow calm pace once safe.
07/10/24: Roseleigh has done a tremendous job in her recovery here at The Turtle Hospital and not only has she passed her Swim Test with flying colors. She has been selected to be our champion for the Tour de Turtles competition presented by the Sea Turtle Conservancy. The Tour de Turtles is an annual event comprising sea turtle organizations from all over the world who “compete” to see who’s champion travels the farthest distance. Each sea turtle selected will have a satellite tracker attached to the back of their shell with marine safe adhesive. This device will stay on for about 1-2 years pinging back locational information. This information is used to help further understand information about the different species such as: foraging locations, mating regions, distances traveled, how deep into the ocean (for our Leatherback sea turtles) and more. This year Roseleigh will be our champion and is set to be released on August 2nd here on Sombrero Beach on Marathon island. So mark your calendars and come join us in this exciting event as we release Roseleigh back out to sea.
07/30/24: Our champion has been working hard for her release. She’s been eating all her veggies and seafood to ensure she is strong and healthy for her big day just 4 days away! In preparation for her release, Roseleigh will receive a flipper tag with her identification number, a microchip in the back of her neck (similar to the one your pets have) that will have the location she was tagged at and her name. This is in the event she is found by another organization, they can scan this microchip and know all about her. She will have her satellite tracker placed on her shell with marine safe adhesive. Our friends from the Sea Turtle Conservancy, are currently on their way down to the Florida Keys to help in hosting the event along with assisting in placing the tracker on Roseleigh. To learn more about this event and to track Roseleigh make sure to check out the Tracking tab on our webpage. Here you will find direct links to the Sea Turtle Conservancy and Roseleigh’s map.
Release
Today is the big day, and wow did mother nature decide to have Roseleigh go out with a bang. This morning we were met with rain and lighting putting our event at a pause for safety. Roseleigh, while excited to get back out to sea, waited patiently in our ambulance for the weather to clear. Guests from far and wide waited out the storm in their cars until finally the storm cleared and hurried to the beach to help cheer on our wonderful girl Roseleigh. Her rescuers flew in from Africa to help in her release and give one final goodbye as Roseleigh made her way to the water. With a few quick goodbyes to her rehab staff and rescuers, Roseleigh was off into the ocean and on to her next adventure.
Make sure to follow along with Roseleigh as she travels out at sea by clicking the link below.
Stay up to date with the latest news of the Turtle Hospital by following our Facebook or Instagram online.