On January 30th 2020, beach staff in Itoman City, Okinawa, found a stranded green turtle in a weak state. The turtle was rescued and brought to the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium. At that time its carapace length was 36.4 centimeters and it weighed 4.7 kilos.
Blood tests and a CT scan showed an accumulation of gas in its digestive tract which made it difficult for the sea turtle to swim. This may be why it drifted on to the shore. There were the eggs of parasites in its feces and possible bacterial infections. Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium treated the turtle with an intravenous drip of vitamins, along with antiparasitic drugs and antibiotics.

After a few days, the green turtle recovered, and was able to eat, and later it was able to swim well. Over the following four and a half months, the turtle’s blood levels improved, and the gas in its digestive tract reduced. On June 18th 2020, the turtle was released back into the wild from a beach in Ocean Expo Park.

It was a pleasure to release this healthy green turtle back into the sea when it had arrived in such a weak state. Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium hopes to utilize the valuable data acquired during its rehabilitation for the conservation of endangered sea turtles.