Featured Image Credit: Mike Aguilera/SeaWorld San Diego
By Kira Krall
Tucker the olive ridley turtle was found cold-stunned on the Oregon coast in late 2015. Responders said they almost thought he was dead, save for the tucking of his tail after it was touched. This behavior got him the name Tucker and a place at the Seattle Aquarium’s rehabilitation facility.
After a brief holding period, the staff at the Seattle Aquarium noticed how Tucker couldn’t dive or stay submerged for long. Former Aquarium vet Lesanna Laher decided to try something completely new. She sent Tucker to a hyperbaric chamber and into fame as the first turtle to receive this treatment.
Hyperbaric chambers are typically used to treat human ailments like serious infections, wounds that won’t heal, or bubbles in the system like those found when divers experience decompression sickness. If it could get bubbles out of the human body, why wouldn’t it work for turtles?
The treatment worked. Beautifully, in fact, the increased air pressure in a hyperbaric chamber forced the bubbles out of Tucker’s system in just one trial. After a few more days, Tucker and fellow rehab patient Lightning were flown by the Coast Guard to SeaWorld San Diego. After a year of additional rehab, Tucker was cleared for release.
His current southward path will likely take him near a known sea turtle breeding ground. He was released with fellow rehab patients Lightning and Solstice, and he’s been about 20 miles from Lightning since they were released together. Thanks to the Seattle Aquarium, the Coast Guard, and SeaWorld San Diego for sending these turtles home!