Over the weekend, the rescue team at the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research (GCSTR) received a report through the Texas statewide sea turtle hotline that a strange turtle had washed up onto the shore in Galveston near Beach Pocket Park.
Officials found the turtle lethargic and weighed down by epibionts, organisms that attach themselves to other living creatures.
The female turtle was covered in barnacles, algae, and sediment, and she also happened to be one of the rarest turtles in the world.
It was a female Kemp’s ridley, one of the rarest and most endangered turtles living, and the official state sea turtle of Texas.
Upon her rescue the turtle was rushed to the Houston Zoo for emergency evaluation before being transferred to the research center's rehabilitation hospital.
Christopher Marshall, director of the GCSTR, told Chron, “This turtle is in critical condition but is getting the best care thanks to our veterinarian partners at the Houston Zoo and a dedicated team of staff, volunteers and students at our hospital.”
The GCSTR said its rehabilitation work is largely funded through donations and is asking any of those who want to help support the turtle's care to consider purchasing supplies from the center's Amazon wishlist or by donating directly.
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