Published: 5th December 2011
National Marine Aquarium’s favourite Loggerhead Turtle travels for treatment
Snorkel, the Loggerhead Turtle, left her home at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth this weekend for medical treatment. Snorkel, who was found washed up in Sennen Cove, Cornwall, in 1990, travelled to a private hospital in Cheltenham for a specialist MRI scan on Saturday 25th June.
Loggerhead Turtles are an unusual sight in an aquarium due to their protected status. Snorkel, who is now in her mid-20s, has been a resident at the Aquarium for over ten years, as various health problems have meant that she could not be released back into the wild. Staff believe that many of these problems stem from a trauma suffered when she first came ashore. Snorkel suffers from suspected epilepsy, for which she receives daily treatment of the same medication used by humans. A fit suffered underwater can be particularly serious. The scan allowed the Aquarium to see if there were any other issues, such as a brain tumour, that may be causing the fits.
The National Marine Aquarium vet, Sue Thornton, who is part of the International Zoo Veterinary Group and has been caring for Snorkel for five years, said it was in her best interests to have the MRI scan. “The scans went very well and initial results show no signs of a brain tumour, which is fantastic news,” said Sue. “We did everything we could to reduce any stress that Snorkel experienced whilst away from home.”
Snorkel was taken from her tank at the Aquarium and covered in petroleum jelly to prevent her skin and shell from drying out. She was then placed in a foam box to prevent her from being injured on her journey from Plymouth to Cheltenham, during which she was accompanied by Sue and three experienced aquarists. The scanning unit in Gloucester was selected as it has an extra high unit which was capable of dealing with a turtle of Snorkel’s size.
James Wright, senior biologist at the National Marine Aquarium, who has been administering Snorkel’s medication for the last three years, said, “Snorkel is a firm favourite with our visitors, with some travelling to the Aquarium especially to see what she has been up to. I was with her throughout the scan, which she coped with brilliantly. Snorkel is now back at the Aquarium and will be kept off display for the next week to give her time to recover, before re-joining the other inhabitants of her usual tank.”
Snorkel weighs 71kg and is fed twice a day, munching her way through 100 squid every week. She is currently the only Loggerhead Turtle in her tank at the Aquarium - in the wild, turtles are solitary animals, so adding another to the tank could lead to fighting and possible serious injury.
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