Meet MoJo the Sea Turtle
Photo and Video Credit: South Carolina Aquarium under SCDNR MTP 2024-0004
MoJo is a juvenile Kemp’s ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) that weighed just under 6 lbs when admitted to the South Carolina Aquarium on June 27th, 2024. MoJo’s sex is unknown at this age. As the lead sponsor of the Nutritional Care Program at the Aquarium, Charleston Coffee Roasters was honored to choose MoJo’s name.
MoJo was caught on a hook and line by a fisherman in Mt. Pleasant, SC. The J-hook was swallowed and embedded deeply in her/his esophagus. Luckily, a couple of feet of line was left attached to the hook, which allowed the Aquarium to easily locate the hook for removal. Upon admit, MoJo was active and appeared to be in good physical condition, but his/her body temperature was elevated. The Aquarium examined MoJo and took radiographs to determine the location of the swallowed hook. They also ran bloodwork, which unfortunately showed several parameters out of ideal range. Due to the critical and unstable results of MoJo’s bloodwork, hook removal was postponed. MoJo was triaged with necessary medications and administered fluids for hydration. The following morning, MoJo was alert and responsive. New bloodwork also showed more stable and safe levels. MoJo was sedated for hook removal, and luckily, it was able to be removed through the mouth without the need for major surgery. MoJo was then moved back to a shallow tank to rest and continue to recover.
UPDATES
July 15, 2024: MoJo’s appetite kicked back in the day after the hook removal procedure. Since then, MoJo has been getting regular diet increases as well as water depth increases in his/her tank. Mojo’s activity level progressed so well that s/he was moved to Zucker Family Sea Turtle Recovery™.
August 15, 2024: MoJo has been cruising through the rehab process and is finally packing on some real weight. MoJo is doing so well that he/she has been tagged for pre-release evaluation! Hopefully, MoJo will be heading back out to sea soon.
August 20, 2024: MoJo was released on Folly Beach along with five other rehabilitated sea turtles. Good luck out there, MoJo! Stay away from any fishing piers!
WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM MOJO?
MoJo’s story teaches us the importance of safe fishing practices. If you catch a sea turtle while fishing, don’t cut the line short! Instead, leave 1–2 feet of line attached to the hook (this helps the Aquarium find and access the hook in the least invasive way possible). Call the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) at 1(800)922-5431, and they will guide you through any steps that need to be taken as transport is dispatched to your location.
About the Nutritional Care Program at the South Carolina Aquarium
Charleston Coffee Roasters is the lead sponsor of the Nutritional Care Program at the South Carolina Aquarium. This program provides sustainably sourced restaurant-quality nutrition to the Aquarium’s permanent residents, as well as sick and injured sea turtles in the care of the South Carolina Aquarium Sea Turtle Care Center. Just as coffee fuels millions through their day, Charleston Coffee Roasters’ contributions help provide nutritional care to turtles like Java to help them on their rehabilitation journeys. To learn more about our sponsorship of the South Carolina Aquarium and their efforts to save and rehabilitate sea turtles click here.
Why Saving Sea Turtles is So Important to Charleston Coffee Roasters
As a company, we’re dedicated to the preservation of the sea turtle population. With our home here in Charleston, our founder, Lowell Grosse, became aware of the need to preserve sea turtles in our native waters which provided the inspiration for our company logo to be a loggerhead sea turtle made of a coffee bean. Animal care, including that of the sea turtles, is chief among the components of the Aquarium’s mission; and as the lead sponsor for the Nutritional Care Program, we’ll be providing recurring, reliable funding for this work. Learn why we’re so passionate about conservationism in this video.