Bowser Rescue Turtle

female Olive Ridley turtle (RB.LO.164), admitted 23 March 2019, Kuda Huraa, Bodu Hithi, N.Malé Atoll, Maldives

Weight / Length: 33.8kg / 63.4cm (on admittance);

Bowser was admitted to our turtle rescue centre here in the Maldives on 24 March. She had been found entangled in a ghost net (discarded fishing gear) close to the resort island of COCO Bodu Hithi (N.Male Atoll).

Bowser suffers from lacerations on both flippers, and is unable to dive below the water surface to look for food (turtle buoyancy syndrome).

Updates April 2019

Bowser has been very active in our recovery pool, and her movements have re-opened some wounds. She is undergoing treatment and is under careful observation. Her lacerations were severe and not healing, so we sent Bowser to the ORP for amputation surgery by the resident veterinarian (thanks, guys!) She is now back at our Centre, under close observation.

May 2019

Bowser is unable to dive below the water surface, so once she is fully recovered we will release her back into the wild. She really enjoys her crab snacks!

November 2019

Bowser rescue sea turtle Marine Savers Maldives (3) [960px]

May 2020

Bowser continues to be very picky at meal times, and will only eat crabs or lobster. We are continuing her regular ocean swims to improve her swimming skills and encourage her to dive below the water surface.

September

Bowser started eating fish this month. She is more active in the pool and is sitting lower in the water (signs that her turtle buoyancy syndrome might be improving).

January 2021

Bowser has shown great improvement in the past few months. She is always keen at feeding times and loves a bite (or two) extra of fish every day! When she’s not eating, she’s found doing laps around her pool.
We continue with her regular ocean swims to improve her skills, allowing to stretch her flippers outside the rehabilitation pool. With her new found energy, it’s definitely getting harder for us to keep up with her in the water!

February

Bowser is active in her pool, and we observe she is sitting lower in the water (overcoming buoyancy issues). We are starting an exercise program to help her dive below the water surface to retrieve food.

July

Bowser continues to be very active in her pool, and is now sitting slightly lower in the water (buoyancy syndrome is slightly improved). She enjoys her regular swims out in the lagoon, and is able to swim a little below the surface.

7 August 2021

Sadly, Bowser died today. Her health had started to decline over the last few days, and despite our best treatment efforts, she was found unresponsive in her pool this morning. The subsequent necropsy reveal ovarian cysts and lung trauma.

Our Current Turtle Residents