One of the ABQ BioPark Aquarium’s longtime residents, a loggerhead sea turtle named Mimi, will be undergoing surgery soon.
Every summer, female sea turtles search for beaches to lay their eggs. In Mimi’s case, she was rescued approximately 30 years ago and has called the BioPark her home ever since. It is common for sea turtles in human care to forgo laying eggs and reabsorb the follicles that do not become eggs. During these months, Mimi’s appetite typically lessens as she prepares to lay any potential eggs before realizing she does not need to. Her care team monitors her during this time in case anything appears abnormal.
Recently, Mimi’s appetite has still not returned to its usual level. An ultrasound of her body cavity revealed many follicles, which is not unusual for Mimi. She was given supportive care medications to see if that would help with her appetite.
However, Mimi was still not eating as expected. This led to her being taken to the zoo’s veterinary clinic for the first time. There, veterinary staff ran tests, took x-rays, checked blood work, and performed another ultrasound. Results showed some mineralized structures in her abdomen that appeared abnormal, along with dozens of abnormally sized follicles. This could be taxing on Mimi’s system and there is a possibility that those structures and follicles could be infected.
After more supportive care and fluids were administered without improvement in her appetite, the decision was made to schedule surgery to remove as many of those structures as possible. Once removed, the tissue will be sent to a pathologist for evaluation.
This surgery is considered invasive; therefore all other non-invasive options were exhausted first. “It’s not something we jump to right away, but all signs are indicating that this problem is not going to solve itself,” said BioPark Senior Veterinarian Dr. Carol Bradford. “Her care is top notch and we’re doing everything that we can for her.”
The BioPark’s veterinary staff will schedule the surgery soon and continue providing updates on Mimi’s prognosis.
