Topsail Beach, NC - The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center

Sea Turtle Hospital News

Spotlight on Meghan Gahm This future oceanic researcher is one of our two summer "Meghans." Hailing from the frigid north, Strafford, NH she followed the sun to UNCW where she began her studies in Journalism. Somewhere along the line her interests, and the stark reality of limited employment opportunities, led her to Marine Biology. We host interns year-round from UNCW, so Meghan had some idea of the long hours, hot weather and crowds of adoring turtle fans. But she never expected to actually look forward to the hard work. "There’s nothing I don’t like doing!" All of the hands-on time spent with our patients has led Meghan to decree our internship "an intensive introduction to sea turtles." She especially likes working one-on-one with the big turtles, hunching over them nose to flipper, tending to their wounds and treatment protocols. It’s easy to become attached to these critters when you sit next to them for hours, and Megan has fallen under the spell of "Onslow" - "he’s the man." Photo: Meghan Gahm escorts a little Green to the spa for his bath. In addition to the hospital work our interns are assigned a day to walk the beach, looking for turtle tracks and identifying and staking nests. One of the nests Meghan spotted is "possibly a Green." That’s pretty exciting because Topsail is ruled by Loggerheads, and we haven’t had a (verified) Green turtle nest here in quite some time. Latest chatter is that another set of these suspicious tracks was spotted recently - a second visit from mama Green? We won’t know for sure until the hatch, but it’s always a treat to see these stunningly colored babies (very different from the "loggerhead brown") boil up and bolt for the sea. Our interns are coming up on their last four weeks here at the hospital, and they’ve had more really, really sick turtles to care for than interns in past years. They’re working their carapaces off but still manage to smile and maintain excellent attitudes no matter how much pressure they’re under. Meghan tells prospective interns that, "you’re in for the ride of your life. The trip is amazing, but you need to commit 100% to get the most out of it. It’s worth it when you do."  When she’s not doing turtle stuff you’ll find her "outside" doing (or attempting to do) "pretty much anything." When she graduates next year she’s off to the Caribbean to follow her dream. George Hamilton IV Returns to Topsail Legendary Grand Ole Opry® star George Hamilton IV returns to the island on Tuesday, July 21 for a benefit concert, featuring his country and gospel music, for our hospital. His concert several years ago was sold out, and we’re really blessed that he’s taken time out of his busy touring schedule to spend another evening with us. The concert will be held at the Assembly Building in Topsail Beach. Doors open at 7 and the concert is at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $10, are tax deductible and are available at: Topsail Chamber of Commerce, Surf City Welcome Center, Quarter Moon Bookstore and the Sea Turtle Hospital. Advance purchase is strongly recommended, but latecomers can call 910-470-2800 to check on availability at the door.  Snacks and soft drinks will be available. Don’t let this opportunity to see a real legend pass you by! Hooked! It happens. You’ve got your line in the water baited with whatever you think will catch the "big one" when you reel in a sea turtle. Sea turtles are notorious for going after an easy snack. If that’s what took your bait there are a few important things to remember. Gently, gently bring the turtle in and carefully lay it down to determine where it’s been hooked. If the hook is in soft tissue (like a flipper) maneuver it so you can cut the barbed end and work it out. This is the same thing you would do to "unhook" a person. Unless this leads to excessive bleeding you can release the turtle back into the water. If the turtle has swallowed the hook the protocol is different. Stressed or scared turtles can bite, so watch where you’re putting your fingers. Cut the fishing line at least two feet from the mouth, roll it, keeping it taut but not pulling on it, and tape it to the top of the shell. This will prevent entanglement with a flipper, neck or other body part, and will give us a starting point for treatment. Call one of our "Sea Turtle 911" lines (910-470-2880 or 910-470-2800) and we’ll give you instructions for the next step, and arrange transport. Once at the hospital we’ll assess the position of the swallowed hook (either visually or by X-ray) and determine if we can safely remove it. If not, our vet will visit and attempt removal. If that fails and he feels further efforts at our facility are too risky the turtle will be transported to the Vet School at NC State for surgery. For years hooks were made from metals that eventually disintegrated from the action of the salt water.  A major problem with "modern" fishhooks is that they’re made from stainless steel and can put a turtle through an agonizing death if they are not removed. We have quite a collection of some very nasty looking hooks that have been "donated’ by our patients over the years, and we wouldn’t want to get snagged by any of them, let alone swallow them! Calling all (shark’s) tooth fairies Can you immediately spot a  shark’s tooth in a pile of crushed shells and stones? We have quite a few children’s camps visit during the summer, kids who may have never seen the ocean before, and we like to send them home with a little reminder of the wonderful gifts from our sea. They LOVE those prehistoric shark’s teeth! If you enjoy the thrill of the hunt but don’t know what to do with that handful of dentition please drop them off at our hospital anytime between 8 AM and 5 PM during our open house days, or before noon on Wednesday and Sunday. You’ll make some kids very, very happy. The Tour Visiting hours are from 2-4 PM daily, EXCEPT Wednesday and Sunday. Lines can be long, so come prepared with sunscreen and umbrellas for shade. The gift shop is open and stocked with clothing exclusive to our hospital, as well as other turtle merchandise. We are ramping up our fundraising because we desperately need another $350,000 to erect our new facility. We have a lot of big, really sick turtles that won’t be going anywhere for a year or more, and it’s only July. We ‘re getting scared; scared that we’ll run out of room for turtles in need of rehabilitation. Please help us build a hospital large enough so we won’t have to say, "we can’t take him." A starting point is a minimum donation of $2/adult and $1/ child dropped in the jar as you leave our hospital. Anything else you can spare is greatly appreciated. The Talk Every Wednesday from 3:45 - 4:45 PM through Labor Day you can learn about sea turtles at the Surf City Community Center. The program is free, but donations are gratefully accepted. Topsail Turtle Project The nesting season continues through August, so please be on the lookout for nesting, injured or stranded turtles. And remember that these are federally protected animals. Harassing or interfering with them in any way is punishable by a hefty fine and/or imprisonment. Please report any incidents of nesting, injury, stranding or harassment to our Director of Beach Operations, Terry Meyer at 910-470-2880 immediately. Questions, comments or suggestions for stories Contact me at: flippers@embarqmail.com.