Mississippi State University saves rare sea turtle

Staff and students Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine analyzing radiology scans from Toast Malone. (Images courtesty of Grace Cockrell)

Toast Malone, a Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, has been successfully treated for specialized care at Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine (MSU CVM). This turtle, among the world’s most endangered sea turtle species, received an endoscopy upon arrival where John Thomason, DVM, MS, DACVIM, identified and removed a fishhook from his stomach, saving his life.

The team at MSU CVM treated Toast Malone 2 other times prior to this one. The team has performed similar procedures to this latest one as well as microchipped the turtle to track and monitor its recovery. According to an organizational release,¹ treatment efforts of the sea turtle are part of the university- based Global Center for Aquatic Health and Food Security (GCAHFS) and its Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Health Program. This program is a joint effort between the MSU CVM and the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport.

“We are giving these animals the opportunity to recover and thrive,” explained Thomason.¹ “It is inevitable that humans are going to come in contact with marine animals, and it should be our responsibility to help these animals if they need us—especially if we move into their environment.”

According to Thomason, sea turtles have great geographic navigational skills and likely return to familiar areas, regardless of any hazards they could encounter. The MSU CVM team has treated other turtles besides Toast Malone, including a loggerhead sea turtle now known as Mudpie. Mudpie presented to the MSU CVM veterinary team with 2 fishhooks, one lodged in his mouth and the other in his esophagus. Thomason successfully removed both with the help of CVM faculty and fourth-year students.

Students and faculty at Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine staff working together to remove a fishhook from Mudpie's mouth and esophagus.

“This was the first time I have witnessed and assisted in using endoscopy to remove fishing hooks, it was an incredible learning experience,” said Kathryn Rapp, a fourth-year student at MSU CVM.¹ “As a group, we reviewed anesthetic protocols for chelonians, learned how to safely restrain for the procedure and discussed the upper airway anatomy of sea turtles. It was amazing to see students, staff and doctors from so many departments of the hospital combine their knowledge and skills to help these endangered animals.”

CVM Faculty, staff, and students through the GCAHFS Gulf Coast Aquatic Health Program play a key role in the rehabilitation of these marine animals regularly. For the school’s students, they are exposed to these procedures and research opportunities through first-hand experience.

Mudpie and Toast Malone left the hospital based in Starkville on the same day as their procedures and returned to the GCAHGS faculty and staff to receive care on the Mississippi coast for further rehabilitation.

“They are not ready to be relThe MSU CVM case has treated other turtles besides Toast Maloneeased yet. We need to make sure these turtles are eating, gaining weight, able to swim and dive,” concluded Thomason. “We need to make sure they can hunt. They need to show us that they can survive in the wild. I am optimistic they will both be released.”

Kemp’s ridley sea turtles were named after Richard M. Kemp, a fisherman located in Key West, Florida after he became the first person to submit the species for identification in 1906.² Primarily found in the Gulf of Mexico, these endangered sea turtles can be found in the Atlantic Ocean, Nova Scotia, and even North Atlantic. In the 1940s, and the mid 1980s the number of nests began to severely decline, with less than 250 nesting females nesting 702 eggs. Thanks to conservation efforts in the 1990s, Kemp’s ridley sea turtles slowly rebounded.²

References

1. MSU to the rescue: Veterinary medicine college again saves rare sea turtle. News release. Mississippi State University. July 12, 2024. Accessed July 18, 2024. https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2024/07/msu-rescue-veterinary-medicine-college-again-saves-rare-sea-turtle
2. NOAA Fisheries. Kemp’s Ridley Turtle | NOAA Fisheries. NOAA. Published March 11, 2020. Accessed July 18, 2024. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/kemps-ridley-turtle