Early on Saturday morning, volunteers with the Pritchard’s Island Sea Turtle Patrol discovered a sick and stranded loggerhead sea turtle along the shore at Pritchard’s Island.
The turtle, an approximately 20 year old 75 pound loggerhead, was stranded at low tide on Pritchard’s Island and was showing signs of distress.
Then, a village of turtle patrol volunteers from several different local sea islands converged to help save her.
Abby and Robert Morris immediately contacted SCDNR who, in turn, contacted volunteers with the Fripp Island Sea Rescue to assist the Morris’ in rescuing her from the beach.
Volunteer Jimmy Myers and Scott Momberg went to the location and got the turtle into the rescue boat and it was brought over to Fripp Island, where Fripp Island Sea Turtle Patrol volunteers were waiting to help the turtle from the boat into a vehicle driven by Keith Rossman, a member of both the Coffin Point and Hunting Island Sea Turtle Patrols, to take the stranded loggerhead to the Sea Turtle Hospital in Charleston.
The Sea Turtle hospital treats stranded and sick sea turtles of all species, and rehabilitates them until they can be safely and successfully returned to the ocean.
The Sea Turtle Hospital named her Pluto.
“It took a village to get this beautiful creature to safety on Fripp…and then on its way to the Charleston turtle hospital,” said Denise Momburg, a member of the Hunting Island Sea Turtle Patrol. “A sight to be seen & a true blessing that all these areas had representatives available to help as needed,” she added.
Sometimes it does take a village to rescue a sea turtle…and we’re glad that all of these local volunteers were able to get together to help. Kudos to them and the mission they have, and a big thank you for what they do each and every day.
