Mascha

All Turtle Patients

Meet Mascha, Yet Another Adult Female Ghost Net Victim

Mascha was found entangled in a ghost net by Vakkary in Baa Atoll and she arrived at the Rescue Centre by speedboat.

Intake Date: 24th January 2020
Length: 64.5 cm
Weight: 26.5 kg
Status: Released 13th April 2020

Mascha has been adopted by Cecile Pouget and by Marc Theodossiadis.

Mascha arrived with a badly damaged left front flipper. The ghost net had cut into her front left flipper, leaving it lacking a blood and nerve supply. She had amputation surgery on the 29th of January and recovered well.

She has settled in to life in the Rescue Centre and is eating well. We hope she recovers quickly so we can get her back to the sea soon.

3 February 2020
Mascha has moved into the big tank and is okay there. Her antibiotic course continues and she is eating very well.

10 February 2020
Mascha is another highly-strung turtle, although she is not as bad as dear Laetitia was. She is coping better in the big tank but is bumping and abrading her nose. Her appetite is good and she is healing, but some of her stitches have broken down due to her unhealthy skin. We hope this setback won’t keep her here much longer than she has to be.

17 February 2020
Mascha is continuing to heal with regular wound care. Her remaining stitches will come out next week. She is bright and active and eating all of her food but she continues to bump the tank. She continues on her course of antibiotics.

25 February 2020
Mascha had her remaining stitches removed and that side of her wound has healed beautifully. She will be having a reassessment this week to see if the wound has enough healthy skin to be closed. That will mean a small surgical procedure for her that should hopefully speed up her healing process.

2 March 2020
Mascha had a procedure this week. There were some deep pockets of infection that needed debriding in her wound. There was just enough skin to close the wound and we are hoping it does not break down again. She recovered well from her sedation.

26 March 2020
Mascha had her sutures removed and her wound cleaned this week. She still gets very stressed around people and hides from us when we’re trying to get her out of the tank for wound cleaning. But once she’s out she’s extremely calm and she even seemed to enjoy her spa day this week. We have cut her food down as she was getting fat. Her appetite is good and she’s eating more quickly. She keeps bumping into the tank so the sides of her carapace are getting worn. When Bishy and Sandy are released, we will move Mascha to the big tank.

6 April 2020
Mascha is making the most of her big, new tank – it’s the most active we’ve seen her since she arrived, which is great. She still avoids people at all costs (smart girl!).

13 April 2020
Mascha was released today and is now enjoying the freedom of her natural habitat and open ocean.