‘Everything needed to be cleaned.’ Sea Turtle Recovery reopens at Turtle Back Zoo after lightning strike
The turtles spent two months at the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society on Long Island, before being brought back to the zoo last week.
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For the first time in over 40 days, Pickles, a critically endangered Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle, is recovering and back inside his tank at Sea Turtle Recovery at the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange. He, along with four others, were forced out of the hospital in August after a lightning strike ignited a fire at the turtle hospital, exposing them to heavy smoke.
"Everything needed to be cleaned. There was ash and debris everywhere. Smoke everywhere. Anywhere the turtles needed to be, needed to be washed and cleaned and sanitized,” said Bill Deer, co-executive officer of Sea Turtle Recovery. “And everything reset to make sure that we weren't going to expose them to any further toxins or chemicals.”
The turtles spent two months at the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society on Long Island, before being brought back to the zoo last week.
RELATED: Lightning strike causes fire at Essex County Turtle Back Zoo, officials say
Those with the nonprofit say it was the generosity of the public that not only helped them repair the building, but provided care for the turtles to heal.
"We had so much blood work, so many X-rays and then on top of that, all the medications, all the equipment that was destroyed that we just had to throw away," said Brandi Biehl, co-executive officer of Sea Turtle Recovery.
Those in charge say the reopening of the hospital comes at a good time as November is the peak season for taking in injured and sick turtles.
"This is the time they need to be headed back to Florida and if they fail to do that means they're sick, they're injured and they're going to be washing along our shores, which means we are the only hospital in New Jersey and we need to be open for them and take them in," said Biehl.
Four of the turtles are receiving CT scans, just to make sure they are continuing to improve, while one of them is expected to be released back into the ocean in the next two weeks.
