It is one of the rarest species of sea turtles in the world.
In a rare occurrence, an endangered Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle underwent a CT scan at Decatur Morgan Hospital in Alabama, US, becoming the first animal patient at the hospital. Photos from the trip were shared by the Cook Museum of Natural History, where Kale has been living since 2020.
Notably, the turtle was entangled in a fishing hook by a fisherman in 2019 and suffered an injury to its shell that left it prone to deep infection. Due to injuries it cannot be sent back to sea. Museum staff said that due to its ongoing medical problems, it required regular veterinarian visits and treatment, Miami Herald informed of.
A CT scan was performed by the hospital’s imaging team, along with veterinarians and museum staff, to see how Kale’s infection was healing.
“Kale made history today at Decatur Morgan Hospital as the first animal to receive a CT scan,” the hospital wrote. CT scan is the best tool to assess the improvement of deep infection of the shell of the black. Many thanks to the staff and collaborators at Decatur Morgan Hospital as well as our museum and veterinary staff who made this possible.”
See photos here:
One radiologist explained, “Veterinarians had to hold the turtle to prevent it from jumping off the table and to keep it relatively stable.” Weapon.
“Of course, he’s a sea turtle so I can’t tell him what he’s going to go through, but we do a process with him every week to get him used to being out of the water, used to being around us.” Are. “She doesn’t necessarily like it all the time, just like nobody would always want to go to the vet,” said Cassandra Verlund, live animal manager at the Cook Museum of Natural History.
Also called the Atlantic Ridley sea turtle, it is one of the rarest species of sea turtle in the world. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that their population had been decimated between the 1940s and 1980s, leaving only 250 nesting female turtles.
Smithsonian Institution It is estimated that about 4,600 sea turtles are killed each year in US waters by fishing nets and hooks.