Trapped between rocks, completely unable to move, Lillius was found just in time! A fishing hook had pierced her flipper, and the attached sinkers and line had wrapped tightly around the rocks. With the tide rising, she would’ve drowned.
Incredibly, her x-rays didn’t show structural damage and there were no signs of infection in her bloodwork. The hole where the fishing hook had pierced into her flipper is still almost 1cm deep though. We are providing wound treatment and repeating bloodwork and x-rays to ensure no further complications develop. While Lillius is recovering well, she’s currently not using her flipper as she should be, so our team is closely monitoring her mobility and progress.
Why this matters:
Hooks and fishing line are one of the leading causes of sea turtle injury.
35% of our patients are victims of recreational fishing or boating — and only half survive.
Fishermen, can we please ask you to do your part and:
– Clean up after yourselves, remove all fishing gear and rubbish, don’t leave any behind.
– Don’t discard ANY fishing gear in the ocean (it takes 600 years for fishing line to degrade – marine wildlife gets entangled in it, leaving deep cuts and losing limbs – fishing hooks don’t dissolve in sea turtles, they kill it).
– Never cut your line when you get snagged, recover the line and hook to protect all wildlife in the ocean. If you’re not willing to recover you gear, TAKE RESPONSIBILITY and use biodegradable fishing line.
– If you hook a sea turtle, recover the animal, leave the hook in, and call us immediately for pickup please (when you remove yourself, the wound is likely to get infected – and we need the exact location of the hook to determine any internal damage).