Greetings!
We hope you enjoy following the care of Pip! Be sure to "Like" us on
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If you wish to update your email information, please reply to this message or send an email to
gstceducation@jekyllisland.com
using "Adopt-a-Sea Turtle" in the subject line.
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Rehabilitation Update
Fiddler Crabs
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Pip munches on a fiddler crab
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Now that Pip is starting to get bigger, he/she needs more food. Because we hope that Pip will be released into the wild eventually, we want to help our hatchling friend get used to eating food he/she would find in the ocean. Although we do not have access to the exact species of crabs Pip might find out at sea, we do have fiddler crabs for Pip to eat that are similar. On November 17th, Pip was given his/her first fiddler crab. We never know how a turtle will react to new food, but Pip loved this new menu item! He/she gobbled the crab right up.
For the next couple months, Pip got small fiddler crabs sporadically and was closely observed during and after these feedings. Our veterinary staff needed to be sure that Pip was able to eat the crabs and fully digest them. A concern with any new food - especially seafood with bones or shells - is that a patient might not be able to pass the bones/shells in their feces. A blocked intestinal tract can lead to health problems. However, close observations told us that Pip has had no problems with the inclusion of fiddler crabs in his/her diet!
Because Pip did so well on a periodic diet of fiddler crabs, he/she was upgraded to getting a fiddler crab three times per day (one with each meal) starting on January 15th. With Pip being a bit larger now, we are also able to feed him/her slightly bigger crabs. Over the next several months, we hope to continue increasing the size of the crabs that Pip gets to best prepare him/her for a life in the wild. Stay tuned for updates!
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Education Connection
Sea Turtles on St. Catherines Island
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Undergraduate students visiting St. Catherines Island help relocate a sea turtle nest (left) and release hatchlings (right). Photos courtesy of the Georgia Southern University Sea Turtle Project/Jaynie Gaskin
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Because Pip did not hatch from a Jekyll Island nest, we wanted to tell you more about where he/she came from! You may recall that Pip’s nest was laid on St. Catherines Island. This barrier island is located in the middle part of Georgia’s 100-mile coastline. The sea turtle nesting project on St. Catherines has been managed by staff from the Georgia Southern University Department of Geology and Geography since 1990. Since its inception in 1990, university researchers have protected more than 4,000 loggerhead sea turtle nests, producing over 180,000 hatchlings along St. Catherines 13 miles of beach.
In addition to monitoring the beach for sea turtle activity, the Georgia Southern University Sea Turtle Program has several research initiatives that integrate the fields of ecology, geology, biogeography, wildlife conservation and environmental education. Current research projects center on the study of native wildlife populations in order to develop effective research-based conservation management strategies. Furthermore, the program offers educational field-based courses and internships. These opportunities are geared toward undergraduate students and K12 teachers alike. While some of these experiences extend beyond the sea turtle project, participants in these educational excursions have the chance to experience the fieldwork conducted by Georgia Southern University sea turtle researchers. It is their hope that educational programs like theirs will inspire the next generation of conservationists.
As you can hopefully see, Pip’s nest was laid on an island with a deep appreciation for loggerhead sea turtles. The biologists monitoring sea turtle nests on St. Catherines do their best to protect these threatened animals and all wildlife they encounter. At the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, we are proud to collaborate with the Georgia Southern University Sea Turtle Program and take care of a hatchling from St. Catherines!
To learn more about the Georgia Southern University Sea Turtle Program at St. Catherines Island, click
here
!
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Georgia Southern University Sea Turtle Biologist, Jaynie Gaskin, with a loggerhead sea turtle returning to the ocean after nesting at dawn on St. Catherines Island.
Photo courtesy of the Georgia Southern University Sea Turtle Project/Jaynie Gaskin
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Did you miss a previous update on Pip?
Don't worry! You can read them all by clicking the links below.
Meet Pip
What Pip Eats
Pip's Move to a Kiddie Pool
Pip Dives Deeper
Antibiotics
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Crawl to the Finish: Turtle Crawl 2020
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Registration for the 2020 Turtle Crawl races is now open! Join us on Jekyll Island March 14, 2020 to participate in the 5K, 10K, or beach fun run. Can't make it to Jekyll? No problem! Sign up as a ghost crawler and run from home while supporting the turtles! Proceeds from the races go back to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center to help us continue our mission of rehabilitation, research, and education.
Click
here
to learn more about the races and register!
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Please do not unsubscribe as this is the primary method of sharing the latest news about Pip's progress & future release information when it becomes available.
Donations from the Adopt-a-Sea Turtle program support the Georgia Sea Turtle Center's mission of rehabilitation, education, & research. The timeline for a patient's stay is always dependent on the turtle's health & response to care and cannot be guaranteed. As there are many environmental factors and permissions to consider when scheduling turtle releases; we do our best to share information as timely (efficiently) as possible. Our staff do their best to consider not only the turtle's health, but also our supporters like you!
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Thank you for your support!
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Sincerely,
The GSTC Education Department
Georgia Sea Turtle Center
214 Stable Road
Jekyll Island, GA 31527
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