Madame Ovary Survives Shark Attack

Zoo Miami is about to open its Sea Turtle Hospital (July 6), but it already has taken in a patient – a 50-year-old, 388 pound loggerhead turtle.

On May 22, the zoo got a call from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: a large female loggerhead was just rescued near the Port St. Lucie Power Plant. She had a severe wound on her left front flipper, probably from a shark attack. 

The brand new hospital wasn’t open yet but it had passed inspection and had received the necessary permits to accept patients, so the big loggerhead became the first. The staff noted older scars on the turtle's shell. She apparently had had run-ins with sharks earlier in her life, and possibly at least one with a boat propeller.

“In addition,” the zoo notes in a press release, “after a close examination that included ultrasound, it was discovered that she was laden with eggs.”

Lots of eggs. The med staff stabilized the turtle, gave her fluids, vitamins and food (squid and crab). Last Monday the expectant mother was moved from the recovery tank to a special pen filled with sand. To stimulate egg production she was given calcium and oxytocin, and within a day she had offloaded over 100 of them – carefully collected and transported to a man-made nest for incubation while the mother recovers. Hopes are high for her and the eggs.

Treating a big injured turtle is hard. The zoo put together a 2-minute video to document the process here: youtube.com/watch?v=7qilG6oLUaY.

The zoo staff has decided to name the old girl Baymax, inspired by Disney’s tender-hearted robot. We were partial to Madame Ovary.

Photo credit: Ron Magill / Zoo Miam