{"id":499926,"date":"2026-06-18T23:39:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T23:39:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/499926\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T23:39:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T23:39:22","slug":"sea-turtle-saved-by-special-surgery-after-both-sides-of-shell-crushed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/499926\/","title":{"rendered":"Sea turtle saved by special surgery after both sides of shell crushed"},"content":{"rendered":"

The National Aquarium in Abu Dhabi<\/a> is home to the Middle East’s longest walking underwater tunnel. Through it, visitors can walk 35 feet below the surface, surrounded by a massive 5,000,000-liter ocean tank glittering with thousands of sea creatures.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But The National Aquarium is more than a tourist attraction. It\u2019s one of the world\u2019s leading centers in marine life rehabilitation \u2014 particularly when it comes to its sea turtle conservancy.<\/p>\n

To date, the aquarium has saved the lives of over 1,300 sea turtles<\/a>, and its latest patient is one of its most harrowing cases yet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, we have Kraken,\u201d Aisha, a turtle team care member, said in an Instagram Reel<\/a> that The National Aquarium shared on April 27. \u201cHe is a green sea turtle [who] came with a huge crack along its carapace, as well as under here on the plastron.\u201d<\/p>\n

A sea turtle\u2019s carapace is the top of its shell, while its plastron is the shell underbelly that protects its vital organs. For an injury to cut through both, Aisha explained that it would have had to have come from a boat strike, \u201cprobably from a propeller.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cKraken also has a missing front flipper,\u201d she added. \u201cSo when we looked at him when he first came in, we were just worried if the boat hit any of the important organs or the spine as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fortunately, after X-ray imaging, the veterinary staff was able to breathe a sigh of relief.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing seems to be damaged,\u201d Aisha assured.<\/p>\n

But Kraken wasn\u2019t out of the woods yet. If a crushed and cracked shell is left untreated, bacteria and debris can enter the wound, leading to fatal infections or blood poisoning. It can also lead to long-term problems with swimming, buoyancy, and everyday survival if a sea turtle\u2019s shell isn\u2019t reformed properly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why The National Aquarium called him one of their \u201cmost special rescue cases\u201d yet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AImage via The National Aquarium, Abu Dhabi \/ Instagram<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we\u2019re doing here is negative pressure therapy,\u201d Aisha explained. \u201cHow that works is we create this suction or vacuum, so everything can come together, expel any of the extra fluids, and help with the healing process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Negative pressure wound therapy<\/a> was first pioneered for humans in the 1990s<\/a>. In the last decade, wildlife veterinarians have adapted the technique to treat severe injuries in sea turtles \u2014 in a process that\u2019s sometimes called \u201cTurtle VAC\u201d therapy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the procedure, a wound is sealed with an airtight, adhesive drape, while a suction tube connects the dressing to a mechanical vacuum pump, which applies gentle, continuous negative pressure.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Over time, the suction draws out infectious fluids, stimulates blood flow, and reduces swelling. It also accelerates tissue regeneration, cutting down on a sea turtle\u2019s recovery time in the process.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Because sea turtles are, by nature, marine animals, waterproof bandaging and \u201cmarine-grade\u201d sealants are used to protect the vacuum seal and ensure that seawater is unable to reach the wound.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is one of the first times we’ve ever done it here in the aquarium, especially with it fractured this way,\u201d Aisha said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AImage via The National Aquarium, Abu Dhabi \/ Instagram<\/p>\n

Although Kraken\u2019s injury was extraordinarily severe, it is by no means uncommon. Unfortunately, marine life boat strikes are one of the prevailing threats to endangered sea turtles, alongside entanglement in fishing gear, plastic ingestion, environmental pollution, and poaching.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A few weeks after Kraken was saved in Abu Dhabi, another green sea turtle was rescued 7,800 miles away in Juno Beach, Florida<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On May 21, the Loggerhead Marinelife Center shared the story of its patient, Aelin.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis juvenile green turtle came to us with brutal injuries from an accidental boat strike in the intracoastal waterway in late March,\u201d the rescue center posted on Instagram<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Like Kraken, Aelin required negative pressure wound therapy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAelin is battling her way through recovery and making great progress thanks to customized care by our team,\u201d they said. \u201cAfter being dry-docked with a wound vac to stabilize her shell, followed by surgery to remove dead bone and more wound vac time, Aelin is on the mend and out in one of our larger hospital pools. She is getting regular exams and wound cleaning as she continues to heal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, both sea turtles are recovering from the same surgery, half a world apart.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really hope Kraken has a fast recovery,\u201d Aisha said in The National Aquarium video. \u201cEverything is looking well so far, and we\u2019re just really hoping that, from now on, things go forward and the healing process goes well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u200d<\/p>\n

You may also like: See these \u2018crusty green\u2019 sea turtles after two months of rehabilitation: \u2018The difference is remarkable\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

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Header image via The National Aquarium, Abu Dhabi \/ Instagram\u00a0<\/p>\n