The animal that was run over by a boat was taken to a veterinary station for turtles. But Pennywise, as she is called, weighs 137 kilo and did not fit in their X-ray machines.
To examine the month-old injuries to the shell, the veterinarians then decided to send her to a hospital to be X-rayed in a machine for humans. But not even there did the heavy turtle fit.
The team then made the quick decision to send Pennywise to an equine clinic – and there the X-ray equipment was large enough. The images also brought unexpected good news – the endangered turtle is carrying eggs, which she can do several times per season.
We hope that we will be able to release her into nature as soon as possible, so that she can lay the eggs, says Heather Barron, science chief and veterinarian at Loggerhead Marinelife Center.
