On Wednesday, May 3rd , Lucy and Ray Hoover and Lauren Gilmer reported a live loggerhead turtle stuck under a tree on the beach. Bill Greubel, Terry Fansler and Sandy MacCoss responded to the report and they were able to get the turtle into the Turtle Patrol Truck. Keeping the turtle hydrated, they drove the truck to the Fansler’s driveway to await the Department of Natural Resources. By mid-morning, Jenna Cormany from the DNR arrived and the crew moved the turtle to the DNR truck for transport to the Turtle Hospital at the South Carolina Aquarium.
That afternoon we received a report from the Turtle Hospital that the male loggerhead has been named “Bruce” as the naming theme this year is “Finding Dory”. He was named Bruce because a shark had been nibbling on him and Bruce is the Great White Shark in the movie!
They will have to amputate Bruce’s right front flipper due to shark wounds. He also has an extreme amount of barnacles, and lab tests show deficiencies that need to be corrected. However, the Turtle Hospital says things look optimistic at this time for his survival. Hopefully, we can all visit him at the South Carolina Aquarium Turtle Hospital this Spring!
-Submitted by Gary Fansler