Chelonia Mydas Granted Incredible Chance At Life With State-Of-The-Art Prothesis
If it wasn’t for Kevin Carroll, Rocky the sea turtle would likely not be here today. A professional Prosthetist, Carroll dedicates his days to designing the most ingenious ways of providing artificial limbs to amputees, and fortunately for Rocky, he has a soft spot for these massive ocean reptiles. This young Chelonia mydas was involved in a vessel collision before he reached adulthood and was severely injured, losing one flipper and suffering extensive shell damage, but thanks to skilled rehabilitators and veterinarians he made a full recovery, albeit still missing his flipper. When Carroll was informed of this tragic news, he jumped into action and announced his decision to construct a custom prosthetic flipper for the maimed patient. On November 15 the artificial limb was fitted to Rocky’s body and he was finally able to swim for the first time since the accident. Now almost thirty years of age, this turtle has a new chance at life, and although he will spend the remainder of his life in captivity because of his extensive injuries, this demonstrates how the passion and commitment of even the most unexpected sources can have a huge impact on the lives of these endangered creatures.
Turtle News From Around the World
Conservation
USA: Unpredictable conditions result in massive stranding rates
USA: Ever wanted to see sea turtles in action?
AU: Natator depressus making a comeback
Malta: Diver defies odds to rescue sea turtle
Miscellany
USA: Heroic save caught on film
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Photo from SWNS.
