woody with a view
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sea turtle shot, rescued from SD bay
A sick and injured sea turtle, who could be a key breeding animal for a small population of green sea turtles in San Diego, is being nursed back to
health after being rescued from San Diego Bay.
The turtle known by SeaWorld staff as “Bruce” was shot four times in the neck, but surprisingly that’s not what made him so sick.
“He was lethargic, he wasn’t moving, he wasn’t lifting his head. He looked pretty much dead,” said SeaWorld veterinarian Hendrik Nollens.
“Bruce” was taken to SeaWorld by a field biologist.
“He has some old wounds to his flipper and his tail that are old. Probably entanglement wounds. My guess would be fishing nets or some sort of rope,”
said Nollens.
He also has four gunshot pellets in the bottom of his neck, probably inflicted when he lifted his head out of the water to take a breath.
“When they lift their head, they expose their head and their throat,” said Nollens.
But those gunshot wounds aren’t actually causing him any harm.
“They’re not near any vital structures, they haven’t hit any bone, haven’t hit any nerves or any important structures near the neck for breathing or
swallowing,” said Nollens.
He says the turtle was lethargic, underweight and malnourished.
“He was brought to us pretty much as a dying turtle,” said Nollens.
A small population of green sea turtles lives in the warm water in front of the South Bay Power Plant.
“There’s only 50 or 60 of them,” said Nollens. “It’s a small population to survive long term.”
He says most of those turtles are young and probably came north from Mexico.
“There are few mature adults that would actually be able to breed and there are no nesting beaches in the bay, so he’s one of the few animals that is
capable of breeding, so he could be a key animal for the population,” said Nollens.
So why would someone shoot at him?
“Probably target practice,” said Nollens.
The turtle has been going through life-saving treatment for the past week.
“For the first night and couple of days we just stabilized him, we were really just focused on keeping him alive,” said Nollens.
They hydrated him, put him on strict bed rest, gave him antibiotics and took full-bodied x-rays. That’s when they spotted the gunshot wounds.
“It is a shock,” said Tim Downing, assistant curator of fishes. “It’s just unfathomable what some people do.”
It will take a few months to nurse “Bruce” back to health.
“Sea turtles take a long time to rehabilitate. We probably want him to put on about 20 or 30 pounds before we let him go. So, sometime this spring or
summer when the water is warmer we’ll let him go again,” said Nollens.
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sanquintinsince73
Super Nomad
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What scum would shoot a defenseless turtle? When did this take place?
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Cypress
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Must have been shot with a shotgun at close range. Lucky it wasn't blinded.
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
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This is sick.
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Cypress
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Yep!
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BigOly
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A total disregard for life and a person full of hate.
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desertcpl
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I would like to go Gator trolling with that piece of Cr..p.
WTF would you be thinking to do some thing like that
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sanquintinsince73
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Is this the power plant in Chula Vista?
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Howard
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Mood: I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done.
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My company sells all types of food items to the California Department of Corrections. I would gladly just give the food just for him at no charge if
this scum was ever caught and sent to prison. With our system, even if he (or she) were caught they would probably give him a slap on the wrist with
no serious consequences.
We don't stop playing because we grow old;
we grow old because we stop playing
George Bernard Shaw
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sanquintinsince73
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Howard
My company sells all types of food items to the California Department of Corrections. I would gladly just give the food just for him at no charge if
this scum was ever caught and sent to prison. With our system, even if he (or she) were caught they would probably give him a slap on the wrist with
no serious consequences. |
Ain't that the truth. I'd shoot him in the neck see how he likes it.
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grace59
Senior Nomad
Posts: 614
Registered: 9-14-2004
Location: San Felipe, Baja, Mexico
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It makes me sad and sick to see how little regard some people have for life.
Whenever I hear that rainy, chill wind blow. I think it may be time to head for Mexico. Tengo que obedecer mi corazon!
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elgatoloco
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| Quote: | Originally posted by sanquintinsince73
Is this the power plant in Chula Vista? |
Yes. My bro-in-law is yak fisherman and has seen the turtles down that way many times.
MAGA
Making Attorneys Get Attorneys
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woody with a view
PITA Nomad
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41431928/ns/local_news-san_diego...
with photos of the little dude....
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