Rescued Green Sea Turtle Comber Leaves Vancouver for San Diego

Summary: On Wednesday, April 20, rescued green sea turtle Comber leaves Vancouver for San Diego where temporary lodging at SeaWorld precedes his eventual return to his native waters.

Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre has been Comber's home since January: Vancouver Aquarium @vanacqua, via Twitter April 20, 2016

Almost three months after beaching Jan. 23 on southwestern Vancouver Island, rescued green sea turtle Comber is well enough to leave British Columbia for temporary lodging at SeaWorld San Diego, according to updates Wednesday, April 20, 2016, via Vancouver Aquarium's AquaBlog and Facebook page.

"There is nowhere in Canada with water warm enough for his survival," Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre's head veterinarian, Dr. Martin Haulena, explains in Vancouver Aquarium's AquaBlog posting of April 20, 2016.

On April 20, Comber leaves Vancouver for an overnight stay in Seattle before heading to SeaWorld San Diego. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is picking up Tucker, a male olive ridley sea turtle who has been an inpatient at Seattle Aquarium since Dec. 14, 2015.

On Thursday, April 21, both Comber and Tucker are scheduled for transport to SeaWorld San Diego via a U.S. Coast Guard C-130 Hercules. The four-engine C-130H is recognized as a mainstay of the U.S. Coast Guard air fleet and as the primary military transport in the western United States.

Comber's transfer from Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre to SeaWorld San Diego is preparatory to his eventual release into the wild.

"From day one, our goal has been to get the turtle healthy enough for release back into the wild," Haulena explains.

The juvenile male green sea turtle's name, bestowed upon him by staff at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre, harks back to his beaching site. On Saturday, Jan. 23, a visitor to Vancouver Island's portion of Canada's Pacific Rim National Park Reserve contacted Parks Canada about a hypothermic green sea turtle stranded at remote Combers Beach. Parks Canada rangers relayed the turtle across Vancouver Island to a team from the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre. The turtle was then conveyed to the aquarium's mainland harbor location in Stanley Park.

During his inpatient stay at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre, the rescued green sea turtle has rebounded outstandingly and has acquired the personal name of Comber.

At admission, Comber registered a critically low body temperature of 11.2 degrees Celsius (52.16 degrees Fahrenheit). The normal body temperature for green sea turtles ranges from 20 to 25 degrees C (68 to 77 degrees F). Comber's initial rehabilitation entailed the painstakingly slow raising of his body temperature by a few degrees each day.

A barely discernible, irregular heartbeat figured among the listless symptoms of Comber's hypothermia, usually described as cold-stunning for animals.

"His condition was so poor that breaths were few and far between," Haulena recalls. "We needed an ultrasound to keep track of his heartbeats."

Treating Comber as an inpatient has provided Aquarium staff with a rare opportunity to learn about a turtle species that is an uncommon visitor to Canada's coasts. Green sea turtles normally range in the world's subtropical and tropical waters between the latitudes of 30 degrees north and 30 degrees south. The exploratory attraction of El Niño-warmed waters is thought to have encouraged Comber's journey far form home to Vancouver Aquarium's location on the 49th parallel north.

Staff who have participated in Comber's phenomenal recovery have enjoyed the opportunity to learn about the juvenile's species appreciate the successful outcome for the juvenile green sea turtle's stay at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre. Comber's progress has also been popularly covered by the media, so his good news is celebrated by concerned nature lovers who have never met him.

"Comber beat the odds and will soon return to his native waters, where he can contribute to the growth of the endangered sea turtle population," Haulena notes.

Comber has come a long way since his near-death rescue Jan. 23, 2016: Vancouver Aquarium @vanaqua, via Facebook Jan. 25, 2016

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre has been Comber's home since January: Vancouver Aquarium @vanaqua, via Twitter April 20, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/vanaqua/status/722824537549770753

Comber has come a long way since his near-death rescue Jan. 23, 2016: Vancouver Aquarium @vanaqua, via Facebook Jan. 25, 2016, @ https://www.facebook.com/vanaqua/photos/a.488362465799/10153228491940800/

For further information:

Marriner, Derdriu. "Hypothermic Green Sea Turtle Beached in British Columbia Far From Home." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/01/hypothermic-green-sea-turtle-beached-in.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Rescued Green Sea Turtle Comber Awaits Travel to Sea World San Diego." Earth and Space News. Monday, April 4, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/04/rescued-green-sea-turtle-comber-awaits.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Rescued Green Sea Turtle Comber Soon Leaves Vancouver Aquarium." Earth and Space News. Saturday, March 26, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/03/rescued-green-sea-turtle-comber-soon.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Vancouver Aquarium Reports Hypothermic Green Sea Turtle Steadily Heals." Earth and Space News. Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/02/vancouver-aquarium-reports-hypothermic.html

Vancouver Aquarium. "Comber Continues His Incredible Journey." AquaBlog. April 20, 2016.
Available @ http://www.aquablog.ca/2016/04/comber-continues-his-incredible-journey/

Vancouver Aquarium @vanaqua. "Rescued and rehabilitated green sea #turtle, #Comber, continues his journey home." Twitter. April 20, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/vanaqua/status/722824537549770753

Vancouver Aquarium @vanaqua. "The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre is currently treating a sick sea turtle that was found Saturday on a B.C. beach -- a long way from its home in the tropics." Facebook. Jan. 25, 2016.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/vanaqua/photos/a.488362465799/10153228491940800/