Turtle rarely seen in B.C. waters being treated for hypothermia

A sea turtle found suffering from hypothermia near Victoria Sunday is gradually being warmed back up, according to those who are caring for the reptile.

Nicknamed Moira, the 38-kilogram loggerhead turtle was found in Pedder Bay of south Vancouver Island — away from the warm waters where this species is typically located.

Martin Haulena, the head veterinarian at the Vancouver Aquarium and executive director of the Marine Mammal Rescue Society, tells CityNews the turtle is currently doing “okay.”

“Her colour’s stable and she’s kind of following the rewarming protocol, which is a very gradual process where we try and warm the animal’s body temperature by about 1° to 2° C per day. So she’s being given fluids, antibiotics, we have some blood results as well, and we will be monitoring her closely over the next few days,” Haulena said Wednesday.

He says if Moira continues to be stable and “follows along the protocol predictably,” the team will try to move the turtle into water that is about 20° C by the end of the week.

The Marine Mammal Rescue Society says Moira was found with a core temperature of only 8.4° C. The society notes this is only the second time a loggerhead turtle has been seen in B.C. waters in recent memory, adding the species is more commonly seen in subtropical and temperate seas.

“When she shows us that she is pretty much back to normal and her blood work is normal and she’s able to swim and forage and all those good things, then we’ll start the permit process to get her moved towards San Diego. SeaWorld San Diego kind of acts as the holding spot for sea turtles stranded along the Pacific coast line,” Haulena explained.

He adds the teams in San Diego will “wait until waters are about as warm as possible” — generally in the summer — before turtles are released back into the wild.

It’s estimated Moira is about 15 to 20 years old.

-With files from Catherine Garrett