Meet Bintang, an Injured Star
Bintang is a young (sub-adult) Olive Ridley turtle who was found entangled in a ghost net near a reef of Mendhoo Island in Baa Atoll. She arrived at the Rescue Centre with horrific injuries.
Intake Date: 17th March 2018
Length: 53 cm
Weight: 14 kg
Status: Released 14th April 2018
Bintang had suffered a right front flipper partial self-amputation which exposed her bone. In addition, she had a finger bone injury on her left flipper and several deep wounds, right down to the bone on her head and shell.
Unfortunately, we had to amputate her remaining flipper bone in the shoulder joint due to the severity of her injuries . Post surgery she received antibiotics and pain medication and her wounds were treated with antibiotic cream.
Bintang had a good appetite. Her shell healed slowly, as healthy tissue begun to appear beneath the infected layer. She completed a course of antibiotics, and was treated for skin and shell wounds. She had a sensitive and gentle character, and she never tried to bite us when we were touching her sore wounds to treat them.
Bintang means “star” in Indonesian. Once she got better, we released her back into the ocean so she could again shine again like a star!
