While we have so much to be grateful for, the Cook Museum of Natural Science received some sad news. Kale, the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, passed away after a lengthy illness.
Kale’s Story
Kale came to the Museum in 2020 from the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center. This facility rescues and rehabilitates sea turtles and other marine animals so they can be released back into the wild. In 2019, Kale, while still a juvenile, was hooked by a recreational fisherman off a pier on Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. The stranding team from the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center responded to the call to help.
Due to the size of the hook, an endoscopic procedure could not remove it, so several invasive surgeries were required. Kale’s wound did not fully heal, creating scar tissue and a fistula, a hollow space where food and debris can get trapped and cause infections. Due to the fistula, Kale would require medical attention from time to time to ensure that the space remained clean, making him a non-releasable sea turtle.
A Forever Home
Kale adjusted well to the Museum’s 15,000-gallon saltwater aquarium, bringing a big appetite and an engaging curiosity (especially around the divers cleaning the tank)! He was an instant crowd favorite with visitors of all ages. Given his condition, Kale received constant supervision and care from the Museum’s Animal Care staff and our consulting veterinarian, Dr. Chris Keller, who serves as the veterinarian for the Tennessee Aquarium.
Kale was removed from display in January 2022 and moved to the Museum’s off-site facility, where he could be more closely monitored and cared for in a less stressful manner. Through diagnostic testing, experts determined that Kale was fighting a significant bacterial infection. As with humans, there is always the danger that it can get into the bloodstream and spread to other places, causing abscesses in soft tissue. However, Kale was also exhibiting osteomyelitis, which manifested in lesions on his carapace (shell). In addition to antibiotics to fight the infection, his shell and the underlying soft tissue would need to be debrided, cleaned, and packed to encourage healing.
A Hard Fought Battle
Over the next year and a half, our team spent countless hours doing everything possible to give Kale the best chance to recover fully. Dr. Keller and his technician, Shelby Ferguson, brought their sizable expertise to bear and reached out to a network of sea turtle experts and veterinarians nationwide.
It became apparent that it would be necessary to get a better picture of what was happening internally beneath the carapace, especially since several of the lesions were dangerously close to the spinal column. The Museum contacted Decatur Morgan Hospital, which graciously agreed to provide Kale with several CT scans over time. As the majority of the lesions healed, the scans confirmed that the size of the damage to the internal tissues also appeared to be shrinking.
Late this fall, Kale’s appetite decreased and, eventually, he developed what appeared to be new areas of infection. Our team decided to transport Kale to the Tennessee Aquarium to perform a biopsy and potential emergency surgery. He came through the biopsy procedure well, and the surgery was not needed. His appetite had still not returned, however. Provisions were being made for intravenous feeding to begin to help strengthen him as he fought the infection. However, Kale was found unresponsive just before Thanksgiving.
Dr. Keller performed a necropsy and sent tissue samples to a veterinary laboratory to confirm the cause of death. During the necropsy, the shell lesion closest to the spine did appear to have eventually compromised the vertebral bodies around the spinal cord. Hopefully, when the results from the pathology reports come back from the labs, they will give closure to the nature of the battle Kale fought.
The Cook Museum of Natural Science wants to extend our deepest gratitude to our Animal Care staff for all the love and hard work, to Dr. Keller and Shelby for the expert care and hands-on attention, and to the Tennessee Aquarium for allowing Kale to receive the best possible setting for the last few weeks of his struggle.
Special thanks go out to the administration and staff of Decatur Morgan Hospital for partnering with us to provide care for Kale.
Finally, we wish to thank all the Museum’s guests and supporters for welcoming Kale and showing him love and concern during his journey.
This remarkable creature captured our hearts, and he will be greatly missed.
Those interested in helping provide excellent care for animals at the Cook Museum can donate to the Annual Fund or make a donation to Live Animal Enrichment through Animal Care’s Amazon Wish List.