One of our Sea Turtle Healing Center’s newest patients, a young green sea turtle named Horchata, was recently found on a reef in Satellite Beach by East Coast Biologists during a research trip. Horchata was discovered with a recreational fishing hook deeply embedded in their flipper. Our Zoo’s veterinary team was able to surgically remove the hook and treat the turtle using negative-pressure wound therapy. However, when it comes to Horchata’s healing process, there were more than external injuries to consider.  

Wheeler, our 3-year-old southern stingray, turned our L3Harris Animal Care Center into a regular Ray’s Anatomy episode when he tried out our new CT machine. While various species of turtles and an iguana have tested out the machine prior to Wheeler, the stingray introduced a much bigger challenge than the other Zoo residents: His need to be submerged in a tank of water.