Hospitalized sea turtles recovering after fire at Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, NJ

Charles Lane

Published Aug 29, 2024

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The Turtle Back Zoo entrance seen in West Orange, New Jersey, in June 2019.

Davidng913 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Charles Lane

Published Aug 29, 2024

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Five sea turtles that were trapped in a fire at the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, New Jersey, are recovering at a facility on Long Island run by the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, according to Sea Turtle Recovery, an ecological nonprofit located at the zoo.

Bill Deerr, co-executive of Sea Turtle Recovery, said he received a call on Wednesday night that the rescue organization’s turtle hospital at the zoo was struck by lightning and on fire. Deerr said he and his colleague began calling volunteers to organize care for the turtles, which were temporarily moved to a kiddie pool in an adjacent building.

“We began washing them to get any kind of soot or smoke off of them, lubricate their eyes to keep their eyes from getting dried out,” he said in a phone interview. “We also give subcutaneous fluids to help with hydration.”

The most affected turtle is Pickles, a juvenile Kemp's ridley sea turtle whose heart rate dropped to nine beats per minute after the incident, compared to a normal 30 beats per minute, according to Deerr.

“In Pickle's case, she needed some additional medications to help stimulate her heart,” he said.

Deerr said Sea Turtle Recovery will likely have to replace the hospital’s water filtration system, which could cost several hundred thousand dollars. He said he was unsure if his organization’s insurance would cover it and noted that members of the public could support his organization through its website.

The rescue group is still evaluating when its hospital can be repaired and the turtles can be moved back to New Jersey.

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west orange

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Charles Lane

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Charles is a Day-of reporter focused on breaking news and enterprise. He’s very friendly and can be reached at [email protected], or more securely on whatsapp/signal 631-295-6715

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