Sandy

All Turtle Patients

Meet Sandy, A Buoyant Juvenile Olive Ridley

Sandy, was found floating near Four Seasons Kudha Hura in North Male Atoll. She was brought to us by Marine Savers. She had no apparent injuries.

Intake Date: 6th February 2020
Length: 47.9 cm
Weight: 8.6 kg
Status: Released 29t March 2020

Sandy has been adopted by Michael Schneiderbauer, Shuo, and by Georgina Knowles.

To find out what was causing Sandy’s buoyancy we Xrayed her. She has a large pneumocoelom (air in the body) from a lung tear. 2 litres of air was removed and she is able to dive better, but is still mainly buoyant.

Sandy will require time for this lung tear to heal and the air to absorb. The cause is still unknown at this point, but trauma is usually the number one cause of these big leaks. 

She is already eating so we hope she can adjust to living in our centre while she convalesces.

25 February 2020
Sandy is doing well and continues to try to dive. Her appetite is good but she is still fairly buoyant. She needs time.

2 March 2020
Sandy has been improving her diving this week. She is managing to get a bit deeper before popping back up to the surface.

26 March 2020
Sandy is swimming beautifully. Guests are often commenting on how graceful and beautiful she is. She is a very curious turtle, watching our every move! We’ve seen her resting at the bottom a few times but we will check on her and Bishy late at night to see if they are sleeping at the surface or not before their release. She’s very feisty and is constantly trying to bite things (like the window cleaner!). She has enjoyed playing with her ball which she moves around the tank and tries to bite. She seems to be itching to get out. Even when she is in the big tank, she sticks to the sides the majority of the time trying to find a way out – unfortunately she has got some sores on her front flippers from this. She definitely can’t wait to be back home in the deep blue.

29 March 2020
We are thrilled to announce that Sandy was ready to be released today! She was released, along with Bishy, on the beach at Coco Palm (due to cancellations of excursions as a result of the COVID-19 restrictions). The moment Sandy was placed at the water’s edge, she shot off with excitement. Sandy has always been itching to escape and she finally got her moment! As much as we will miss her, we are so happy she was able to get home safely.