Grant: 21-015C
Project Title: Medical equipment for sea turtle rehabilitation
Project Manager: Shelly Marquardt
Organization: Clearwater Marine Aquarium (Non-Profit Organization)
Grant Amount: $17,859.31
Completion Date: 2022-05-13

Summary: Clearwater Marine Aquarium will purchase an exam table, surgical light, wound V.A.C. and initial dressing kits, and camera. The exam table will allow for use with larger patients and resident marine turtles during exams and procedures. The surgical light is a critical piece of equipment for both exams and procedures. The wound V.A.C. has become a standard level of care for most rehabilitation centers and will provide the optimum treatment for marine turtles with severe wounds. Finally, a camera will allow for high-quality photos to document intakes, procedures, and necropsy findings. These purchases will replace old, unusable equipment and allow for improved efficiency and success of our sea turtle rehabilitation program

Results: This equipment has helped Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s turtle rehabilitation team treat patients. Since the light installation, over 75 intakes and over 15 surgeries have benefited from better visualization. The V.A.C. and sound dressings have been utilized in procedures and surgeries as well. While received just a month ago, the surgical table has already been used in blood transfusions, endoscopies and radiographs. Our animal care and veterinarian team are thrilled to have a table that all of our resident turtles can fit on. With the growth of our resident turtles and increasing caseload, this table will help us provide optimal medical care. The Canon camera has been an asset since we received it. It’s been utilized in intakes, surgeries and procedures - images included with this grant report were taken with it as well. The consistently high-quality photos have already been utilized for education materials and research, as well as spreading the word in the community. Once all of the equipment was secured and being used, Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s marketing team sent out this press release about the grant. Our friends at Channel 10 picked up the story and wrote this article. We also shared the article with our Twitter fans, over 40k followers.