Burrita
adult female Olive Ridley turtle (RB.LO.238), admitted 25 January 2023, N.Ari Atoll, Maldives
Weight / Length: 22.2kg / 57.4cm (on admittance);
On 25 January, Burrita arrived at our Turtle Rescue Centre (Kuda Huraa) via seaplane from W Resort (North Ari Atoll). Burrita had been found floating on the ocean surface and attempting to dive. She did not otherwise seem injured, with no lacerations or carapace damage, and has all four flippers healthy and intact.
In her recovery pool, Burrita shows high energy levels but is becoming stressed as she tries to dive down to the bottom. Once her appetite improves, we will start buoyancy training.
Burrita now has some damage on the skin around her nose, and she also appears to have a corneal ulcer which is being treated with eye ointment three times a day; she is recovering well from both of these issues.
February Updates
Burrita has had a stressful time, causing her to further injure herself by swimming against the walls of the tank. She has since stopped using her right front flipper, and it appears to be causing pain. To allow her more space and prevent further injury, she is now on her own in our largest rehabilitation tank.
Burrita has a good appetite, eating everything – she enjoys hunting morsels from food pipes and ice blocks, both part of her training to help recover from buoyancy issues.
March
Burrita has been progressing well with buoyancy training, and can now easily reach the bottom of a feeding tube attached to a floating ball. In the coming weeks, we will increase the challenges and further weigh down her food to encourage her efforts and build up strength.
April
Burrita has made huge progress with her diving, and is now able to reach the bottom of her tank for food. But she is still struggling with movement in her right front flipper which is holding her back, and is making her buoyancy more one-sided. She continues to have high energy levels and is a favourite with guests as she likes to splash everyone during her feeding time!
May Updates
Burrita has made huge progress with her diving and can often be seen resting comfortably on the bottom of her larger pool.
Her front flipper is much improved, and she has taken up residence in Emma’s old ‘cave’ … we are hoping for a release in the coming weeks.
16 June 2023 … release day!
Today we celebrate #worldseaturtleday with the release of Burrita!
Burrita is a female Olive Ridley turtle who has been a patient at our rehabilitation centre since January 2023.
She was found floating by @wmaldives in North Ari Atoll. She reached our rehabilitation centre with severe buoyancy syndrome which she has been slowly overcoming for the past 5 months.
We are thrilled to see her return to the wild now that she has fully recovered. We wish her the best of luck!
Today our team at @fsmaldives celebrated #worldseaturtleday with the release of the energetic Burrita!
After making a full recovery from a severe case of Buoyancy Syndrome, Burrita finally got to go back to her ocean home. As soon as she saw the open water she could not be stopped and was off to a speedy swim to the deep blue.
Good luck on your journey little Burrita, we’re so proud of you ❤️ 🐢
