"Lennie"

Photo submitted by Karen Sota

Sea turtle “Lennie” was “flipping” with excitement as he spoke to me about his recent visit to the Fort Fisher Aquarium.

Karen Sota: Lennie, how was your first outing as our official Sea Turtle Hospital Ambassador?

Lennie: Exhausting! I sure hope extra food is one of the perks of my new position, plus a boatload of squid in my Christmas stocking because I’m for sure on Santa’s “nice” list.

Karen Sota: Uh – OK – but…

Lennie: My mouth hurts from smiling for hours, and my flippers are just worn to a frazzle. I wanted to make you proud so I made sure I visited with everyone who came to my tank. I’m telling you, I whipped up a LOT of excitement, especially about our hospital.

Katen Sota: Sounds like “Scales and Tales” was a perfect venue for your first day on the job. How was the ride down?

Lennie: Comfy. I mean, since I can’t see anything, I just chilled on Miss Sandy’s lap and listened to music. I might be blind but I have a highly developed sense of hearing and I take a lot of pride in being able to identify all of your voices. I got really excited when a song by The Turtles came on the radio. It was called “Happy Together,” and that’s how I feel about living permanently at the turtle hospital and being the new ambassador. But, honestly, somebody should really buy Miss Jean a few new CD’s.

Karen Sota: What was it like, being one of the really big stars of the weekend?

Lennie: At first it was overwhelming. I had to adjust to a new tank and lots of really strange smells. The water tasted and smelled so different. I was a little confused by the contraption they rigged up to keep me warm and toasty. At home, I can kick back with my head and flippers resting on my pipe and doze in the sunshine. Let me tell you, there was no time for kicking back at that place!

Karen Sota: I don’t want you to get a big head, but I heard you were a real hit with absolutely everyone.

Lennie: I’m not like some of the divas at the hospital that think the tides rise and fall around them. I won’t mention any names, but their initials are SIMA and POUND. It’s funny you referred to my head, because we Kemp’s Ridleys seem to have a lot of bad luck with head injuries. Both Sima and Pound are head cases, and I mean that in more ways than one.

Karen Sota: You devil! You’re looking kind of beat so I’m going to let you take a nap. You never know when Miss Jean will want you to pack up for another diplomatic mission. (Lennie’s off to Raleigh on March 15th.)

Lennie: Have towel, will travel.

Got fins?

Fish is the staple of our hospital pantry, and right now our supplies are dwindling. We have had to scramble for the past several months to find enough fish to keep our patients on the road to recovery. They’ll eat squid, but because it doesn’t have all those wonderful bones that fish does it isn’t as nutritious.

We know many of our supporters fish year-round, so if your catch is not quite fit for your dinner table, please drop it off at the hospital. All our turtles LOVE bluefish, and if you have something really bloody, (like bonita and tuna), you’ll be their new BFF (Slang for "Best Friend Forever").

Please, no mullet, they just spit it out.

Call the hospital before stopping by: 910-328-3377. Somebody’s there every day until about noon.

Thanks!

Next Week

Watch this column for details about our rapidly approaching nesting season and how you can get involved in this year’s efforts.

Hint: keep the beginning of April open for training sessions.

Hospital closed until June  But you can still visit us on-line at: www.seaturtlehospital.org and here at www.topsail-island.info.

A personal “thank you” from Karen Sota:

To everyone who was so supportive in so many ways during the months I was incapacitated with back problems, I’m back to work at the hospital thanks to very successful surgery. It’s surprising how much I missed the enticing aroma of wet reptile in the morning!

If you have any questions or comments about the turtles or this column contact me at: flippers@embarqmail.com

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: Keep watching our turtle page for upcoming updates from Karen and the whole gang at the sea turtle hospital! 

Stop by and watch our turtle cams which are inside the hospital.

editor@topsailpublishing.com