“Goulet”, a subadult Loggerhead sea turtle rescued in January, 2009, was rescued by the Coast Guard Marathon and found with monofilament fishing line tightly wrapped around his neck. In addition to the severe entanglement, the subadult turtle aspirated sea water and developed pneumonia. This caused the turtle to breath in a raspy manner, similar sounding to Darth Vader.

Although Goulet was on antibiotics for several months, his breathing continued to worsen, although his overall health improved. Recently, Dr. Doug Mader, staff veterinarian at The Turtle Hospital, performed a tracheoscopy

and discovered that over time, scar tissue from the fishing line caused a constriction in the trachea, impeding the animal’s breathing ability.

Dr. Mader was able to loosen and remove the scar tissue, enabling the turtle to breath at full capacity.  

It has been two weeks since the surgery and Goulet is making a remarkable recovery. He will be held for two more weeks and will receive another tracheoscopy to ensure that his airway remains clear.