Lylah

Lylah (RB.LO.072) juvenile Olive Ridley turtle, admitted 28-Jun-15 from One&Only Reethi Rah

Lylah is a juvenile Olive Ridley turtle, found on 28 June 2015 trapped in drifting ghost fishing nets. Her right front flipper was badly damaged by the entanglement and unfortunately we needed to perform a flipper amputation. The wound site has healed very well, so we are cleaning it every other day and giving antibiotics.

Lylah’s appetite is poor but slowly improving; she is eating 300g of fish per day, but she has still not gained any weight. Lylah still spends most of the time at the surface of the pool, and we are working with her during feeds to encourage diving and providing enrichment during the day for stimulation.

Lylah had gained weight at the September health check, something which has not previously occurred since her arrival. Lylah has also begun to dive and rest on the bottom of the pool occasionally, as well as eat from the bottom. She sometimes has difficulties diving down and we will look to release her as she continues to gain weight and her diving abilities improve.

Lylah continues to gain weight, and when she isn’t taking a swim around looking for her next lobster meal, she spends all her time resting at the bottom of the pool. We plan to release Lylah in mid-November, with the help of One & Only Reethi Rah.

On 11 November 2015, after 137 days in rehabilitation at our Centre, it was finally time for Lylah’s release ! We travelled by boat to the nearby reef of Makoonodhu, a popular place to spot wild turtles. Lylah was eager to go, and once lowered into the water she set off with a splash ! After a few moments of orientation, she quickly swam away into the blue.