US Dentist Comes to the Rescue of Endangered Sea Turtle
An American dentist has come to the rescue of an endangered sea turtle after the creature was involved in a boat accident and a shark attack.
Rocky, who is a Kemp’s Ridley turtle, is now being treated at the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies under the supervision of Dr Andy Norowski. Dr Norowski is using the latest techniques to restore the turtle’s broken shell after he sustained serious injuries as a result of a collision with the propeller in the boat. The unfortunate turtle has also been bitten by a shark in the past.
Dr Norowski is keen to treat the turtle and restore him to full health and is using specially made acrylic pieces to patch up the shell and encourage natural healing. He is also using orthodontic appliances to allow the shell to grow.
Rocky was brought to the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in October and Dr Norowski said that he is a good patient. Rocky is a rare breed of sea turtle and the team has worked hard to try and improve his condition as much as possible. Without the intervention of experts at the institute the turtle would have almost certainly died.
Rocky is now on the road to recovery and he has recently regained the use of his back legs. When he came to the institute in October, he was paralysed and the team was excited to see him drawing back his hind legs two weeks ago. Rocky is the first turtle Dr Norowski has worked on, but he found information online and contacted a dentist in Florida who had experience of repairing a turtle shell.
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