seaturtle.org : MTN : ARCHIVES : Sign In

It was decided to hold the turtle for a few days to facilitate a full clinical workup and assessment under the medical supervision of Israeli veterinarians. After which, if passed as healthy, she would be released. While in captivity, the turtle constantly tried to swim west (the direction of the sea). As a result, her beak was injured from rubbing the side of the tank. In order to prevent aggravation of this injury, a 24-hour watch was established so that 2 people per shift held the turtle’s head until she ceased directional movements.

Unfortunately, the turtle died during its third day in captivity and was subject to a full veterinary necropsy. At necropsy it was confirmed that she was a female and, although the exact cause of death remains unknown, it is likely that it is the result of the stress of capture and captivity, in combination with several other factors including:
1. Extensive myopathy, likely a result of capture in the trawler’s net.
2. A large plastic bag that had partially occluded the stomach lumen and had caused chronic secondary damage to the stomach mucosa.
3. A partial blockage between the small and large intestines caused by buildup around a foreign object (cf. Davenport et al. 1993). The resultant narrowing of the intestines may have caused starvation and dehydration and contributed to
the transfer of toxins from the intestines to the body.
4. A fracture in the front left limb, perhaps a result of capture in the net and resultant captivity.
5. Damage to the plastron because of the long time spent in the net or on the trawler deck.
6. Damage to the distal ends of both front limbs as a result of abrasions during capture in the net, on the trawler deck and resultant transport and captivity.

As a result of the pelagic nature and large body size of leatherback turtles, they are not at all suited to being held in captivity. Leatherback turtles have sensitive skin and even minor friction causes serious damage immediately. Therefore, it is important to hold any live specimen in a closed bay or a large water tank with a volume of at least two hundred cubic meters. The tank should be wide enough for the turtle to swim without touching any abrasive
objects. The depth of the water should not be less then 2 meters. The edges of the entire tank must be covered with a thick layer of sponge or another material, which will lessen the effect of any contact.

A harness may be desirable to keep the turtle from abrading against the edges of the tank or pool (Jones et al. 2000). Connect the harness to a pole (or better – attach its rope to a location above the water in such a way that the turtle’s movement is not hindered). The pole should extend above the middle of the water, and it should be fitted with an elastic band to counter the thrust of
each fin movement. The harness must be constructed and fitted carefully; otherwise the friction may cause damage and infection (Eckert et al.1986; Nielsen 1995).

A more labor-intensive method is to establish a 24-hour watch over the turtle. The objective is to physically keep the leatherback from scraping up against the sides of the pool or tank. In our experience, we found it most effective to hold the turtle’s head in such a manner that the palms of the hands rested gently around the jaw joints, while the fingers pointed towards the front mid-ventral plastron. When the hands are in this position, they can easily detect every movement of the turtle ahead of time. This will help prevent the turtle from hitting the sides of the tank and it will also allow one to anticipate
if the turtle is about to bite. While the leatherback was held in our facility, it showed no signs of aggression in any form, although the turtle was not apathetic and showed good activity.

The conclusions above lead us to suggest that rehabilitation facilities should only hold leatherback turtles in captivity for rehabilitation purposes if adequate facilities are available and with the knowledge that the risk in holding the animal in captivity is extremely high. It may be that release without intervention or, if severe damage has been sustained, euthanasia are the best options from both an animal welfare and conservation perspective.

It is interesting to note that, during the last 3 years, we have performed 3 other necropsies on dead stranded leatherbacks. In every case, we found plastic bags in their stomachs. This suggests that ingestion of plastic may be a common problem for leatherback turtles, especially in the Mediterranean sea, which is polluted with huge amounts of plastic that leatherbacks appear to
mistake for jellyfish, their primary prey. We recommend that all stranded leatherbacks are checked for potential intestinal blockage caused by ingested plastic. In the case of live turtles, this should be done either with endoscopes or by pushing the hand through the oesophagus to the stomach. In the latter case, the procedure must be carried out under sedation or anaesthesia and the hand must be protected by a speculum.

Acknowledgements: I am grateful for the help of Zeev Kuller and Dr. Brendan J. Godley. Thanks to the many volunteers from the Israeli Sea Turtle Rescue Center-Nature Reserve Authority, The Israeli Maritime College & IMMRAC who kept watch over the leatherback. English translation assistance was provided by Talya Langfur.

DAVENPORT, J., G.H. BALAZS, J.V. FAITHFULL & D. A. WILLIAMSON. 1993. A struvite faecolith in the leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea Vandelli: a means of packing garbage? Herpetological Journal 3:81-83.

ECKERT S. A. & ECKERT K. L. 1986. Harnessing Leatherbacks. Marine Turtle Newsletter 37:1-3.

NIELSEN I.B. 1995. The Turtle Harness: Reducing Handling and Transportation Stress. Marine Turtle Newsletter 68:7-8.

JONES T., M. SALMON, J. WYNEKEN & C. JOHNSON. 2000. Rearing Leatherback Hatchlings: Protocols, Growth and Survival.