One Boy, One Turtle, A World of Difference

One extremely passionate seven-year-old boy, one very sick sea turtle, four garage sales, three craft shows, 500 homemade turtle chocolates and numerous 10-cent bottle refunds add up to a winning combination for patients in the South Carolina Aquarium's Sea Turtle Rescue Program. Ethan, inspired by a behind-the-scenes tour of the South Carolina Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital, has worked diligently for over two years raising funds to support the hospital patients. To his honor, on July 26, 2009, Ethan will join Aquarium staff in releasing Wadmalaw, the Kemp's ridley whose story first inspired him to educate others about the plight of sea turtles and work towards raising money for their treatment. Two other rehabilitated sea turtles, Kiawah and Winyah, will also be released on Sunday, July 26 at 3 p.m. at Beachwalker County Park located on the west end of Kiawah Island, S.C. (Parking is limited and Beachwalker County Park parking fees will apply).

Meet Ethan
Ethan, a resident of Caledonia, Ontario in Canada first came to the Aquarium when he was five years old to deliver $214 he had raised for patients in the Sea Turtle Hospital. On his initial visit, Ethan met Wadmalaw, a critically ill patient. Inspired by his encounter, at home, he continued to educate others and raise money to aid in the medical care of these threatened and endangered species. His passion to-date has added up to enough money to feed eight sea turtle patients for an entire year or to cover a year's worth of medication and procedures for a patient in the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital.

On July 26, Ethan plans to present a $1,000 donation to the Aquarium during the beach release on Kiawah Island. With the July 26 planned gift, Ethan's donations total $2,274. He continues to raise money for the hospital through his own fundraising ideas and has most recently "asked for turtle donations in lieu of gifts from his friends for his birthday" said his mother Shelley Harrison. In school in his hometown of Caledonia, Ontario in Canada, Ethan uses show-and-tell to educate his peers about sea turtles asking them to stop using plastic bags "because sea turtles eat them thinking they are jellyfish" he said. He purchased a reusable bag for each child in his class and asked them to use the reusable bag instead.

In June, Ethan won his school's 'Principal's Award for Student Leadership' due to his conservation efforts for sea turtles and the environment. He was also nominated for both a 'Junior Citizen' award and for an 'Amazing Kid' contest on a local radio station.

About Wadmalaw (Kemp's ridley sea turtle)
Wadmalaw was admitted into the South Carolina Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital on July 11, 2007 after being caught by a fisherman on hook and line on Wadmalaw Island, S.C. The hook was lodged deep in the turtle's mouth and the fisherman was unable to remove it. On the day of Wadmalaw's arrival, under full anesthesia, surgery was performed and the hook was successfully removed. There were also additional complications with this patient. Wadmalaw was floating, not interested in food and was very lethargic. With an unknown future and poor prognosis, staff held out hope and proceeded with treatment for the small turtle which included antibiotic and antifungal injections, vitamin injections and tube feeding. Physical therapy was initiated to keep its flippers from becoming atrophied. In late September, Wadmalaw started to show interest in food and in January 2008 began getting movement back in some of the flippers. By May 2008 after undergoing five sets of radiographs, a CT scan and multiple medications, Wadmalaw started showing signs of great improvement. Sea Turtle Rescue Program Coordinator, Kelly Thorvalson wrote on her blog, "time is this animal's friend," and so it was, as now it is healed and ready for release.

About Winyah (Kemp's ridley sea turtle)
On September 22, 2008 Winyah was found comatose after getting entangled and trapped underwater in a channel net used to catch shrimp in the Winyah Bay in Georgetown, S.C. Upon arrival at the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital, staff kept the animal at an angle to drain the fluid from the lungs. An antibiotic regimen was initiated to prevent pneumonia, which would have been likely without treatment. Due to the large amount of fluids, it was evident that while caught in the net the turtle was unable to come to the surface to breathe. Healthy, Winyah is now ready for release.

About Kiawah (loggerhead sea turtle)
Found washed up on Kiawah Island, the juvenile debilitated loggerhead was admitted into the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital on March 28, 2009. The turtle was hypoglycemic, moderately emaciated, dehydrated and covered in small barnacles, algae and skeleton shrimp indicating it had been lethargic for a long time. Fluid therapy, antibiotics, and dextrose were immediately administered. Supportive therapy continued and Kiawah began showing signs of improvement. By May 2009 the turtle was eating well and very active. Having added necessary weight and the bloodwork analyzed, Kiawah is ready for release.

The public is invited to come and join the Aquarium Sunday afternoon July 26 at 3 p.m. at Beachwalker County Park located on the west end of Kiawah Island, S.C. for the sea turtles Wadmalaw, Winyah and Kiawah's beach release. Additionally, Wednesday, July 22 through Saturday, July 25 the Aquarium's Sea Turtle Hospital will be offering additional behind-the-scenes tours at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.

For more information or if weather for the release may be questionable please visit scaquarium.org. For advance bookings for the Sea Turtle Hospital tour, please call the Aquarium at (843) 577-FISH (3474).

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Rabies: How to Protect Yourself and Your Pets

/PRNewswire/ -- Rabies is a virus that occurs in mammals and infects the central nervous system; the disease can cause death in humans if it is not treated. Nearly 90 percent of cases occur in wild animals (raccoons, bats, foxes etc.); less than 10% of cases occur in domestic animals like dogs or cats. Humans usually become infected when they are bitten by an infected animal.

Early symptoms of rabies are fever, headache and general malaise. Since these are similar to other illnesses, infected persons often do not seek treatment because they are unaware they have rabies.

Progressive symptoms include:
-- Insomnia
-- Anxiety/confusion
-- Partial paralysis
-- Agitation
-- Hallucination
-- Excess saliva
-- Difficulty swallowing
-- Fear of water

If you have been bitten by any animal you should seek medical care immediately. After possible exposure to rabies, the wound should be washed thoroughly with soap and water. Treatment for someone who has contracted rabies is called post-exposure prophylaxis or PEP. PEP treatment consists of one dose of a substance called immune globulin and five doses of the rabies vaccine over 28 days, both of which help your body fight the virus. Treatment must be given as soon after exposure as possible for the best chance of recovery.

If you see an animal you suspect of having rabies, you should call your local health department or animal control agency. These agencies will have ways to safely remove the animal from the area so that no one becomes infected. Infected animals often display symptoms similar to those listed above and may seem to be acting strangely or seen somewhere outside their normal habitat.

The best way to prevent the spread of rabies is to have all your pets vaccinated against the virus. This will also help prevent them from being infected if they come in contact with an infected animal.

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov
NC Health Info

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Pew Brings Survivors to Congress to Seek Protections for Sharks that Attacked Them

/PRNewswire/ -- Today, nine shark "attack" victims from around the nation joined advocates in pushing for the Shark Conservation Act of 2009 (S. 850/H.R. 81), which would strengthen the ban on shark finning in U.S. waters and encourage shark conservation programs around the world.

"Sharks have evolved over 400 million years to become an 'apex predator' in the marine ecosystem, yet our fears help paint a grave picture for their future. It's time to replace fear with understanding and action, just as we have for lions and other apex predators," said Debbie Salamone, an Orlando, Florida resident and communications manager at the Pew Environment Group who was bitten by a shark at the Cape Canaveral National Seashore in east Central Florida in 2004.

The market for shark fins, highly valued for use in the Asian delicacy shark fin soup, is a major driving force in the overfishing of sharks. Shark meat is usually much less valuable, leading too often to shark "finning": slicing off a shark's fin and dumping the rest of the body back into the ocean. This wasteful practice is banned in the U.S., but loopholes in the law hamper its effectiveness, and many other countries still allow finning.

"You are more likely to be killed by lightning than a shark," said George Burgess, whose work at the Florida Museum of Natural History has highlighted the paucity of shark attacks in the world. "If only the sharks were so lucky. Up to 73 million sharks are killed around the world annually. In contrast, only a handful of people die every year from the 50-70 shark attacks worldwide."

A recent report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classified 35 out of 64 known pelagic (open ocean) shark and related ray species around the world as Threatened or Near Threatened with extinction. According to the report, overfishing is the primary reason for the threatened status of a number of shark species in U.S. waters, including great whites, three species of thresher sharks, makos, porbeagles, oceanic whitetips, and three species of hammerheads.

In advocating for the Shark Conservation Act, introduced by Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) in April and passed by the House of Representatives by unanimous consent in March, the survivors hope that their unique voices will make a difference.

"The media makes sharks out to be monsters, some people make them out to be huggable little creatures, but neither is completely true," said Al Brenneka, of Raleigh, North Carolina, who lost his arm after being bitten while surfing in Del Ray Beach, Florida, in 1976. Brenneka now runs a shark attack survivors network and also tags and releases sharks for research. "Sharks are wild animals that deserve our respect, not our retribution."

"The repercussions from overfishing sharks are severe; it is critical to look at the big picture," said Robyne Knutson of Santa Cruz, California, an artist who was bitten in the leg off the Maui shore in 1999.

"They're at the top of the food chain and everything else depends on them," said Mike Coots, who lost a leg to a shark while surfing off the Hawaiian island of Kuai in 1997. Coots, who still lives in Kuai, now surfs with a prosthesis.

"I don't want to swim around and play with them, but just because you don't like them doesn't mean you want to see them exterminated," said Charles Anderson of Summerdale, Alabama, who was bitten in the arm at Gulf Shores, Alabama, in 2000 while training for a triathlon. After losing his arm, Anderson has gone on to finish 17 triathlons.

Other survivors came from New York, Rhode Island, Florida and California. All of them highlighted the need for Senator Kerry's legislation, which would prohibit the removal of shark fins at sea, eliminate loopholes, strengthen enforcement in the current U.S. shark finning ban and promote the conservation of sharks internationally.

"We need Congressional action to further shark conservation and strengthen the U.S. shark finning ban," said Matt Rand, director of the Pew Environment Group's Global Shark Conservation Campaign. "If we don't act now, too many shark species will face extinction."

The Pew Environment Group is the conservation arm of The Pew Charitable Trusts, a non-governmental organization that applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improving public policy, informing the public and stimulating civic life. www.pewsharks.org .

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Making Life Easier For Your Senior Pet

(NAPSI)-Arthritis can make it difficult for cats and dogs to get around, but there are many steps you can take to help ease your pet's suffering.

Here are a few tips to help you make life more comfortable for your pet:

• Keep your pet moving. Regular exercise is an important part in preventing arthritis flare-ups--whether it means taking your dog for regular short walks or giving your cat a toy to encourage play. Light exercise lubricates the joints.

• Watch their weight. Don't overfeed your pets or allow them to eat too many scraps as extra weight raises their chances of developing arthritis. Extra weight can strain a pet's joints and eventually cause cartilage to degenerate.

• Keep them comfortable. Arthritis can get worse if the pet sleeps in an awkward position, so make sure your senior pet has a comfortable bed to sleep in; an orthopedic bed, if possible. Some orthopedic beds even deliver heat to soothe affected joints.

• Make adjustments to their environment. For example, think about where you place a pet's food bowl. Raising the food bowl can reduce neck strain. A pet with advanced arthritis might find steps difficult. A ramp or special pet steps may help.

• Supplement their diet. You can also make your pet more comfortable by giving him a supplement such as Cosequin DS. The scientifically researched nutritional supplement is dispensed by thousands of veterinarians to help cats and dogs maintain healthy joints. It's the only over-the-counter supplement to help prevent and treat joint conditions that can be used on both cats and dogs.

Early action is best as the supplement works gradually and it may take a while to see results. If you notice limping, stiffness or a change in gait, ask your veterinarian to examine your pet and advise you on supplement use.

Your veterinarian may also suggest using the supplement as a protective measure to prevent arthritis from developing or flaring up.

For more information, visit Entirelypets.com.

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Unique Dolphin Research Effort, Staffed by Trained Volunteers, Completes 20 Years of Work

Public invited to celebration July 18, near Savannah

Citizen-naturalists of The Dolphin Project (TDP) have completed 20 years of work in the nation’s longest-running dolphin research program staffed by volunteers.

According to Beau Cutts, founder and first president of The Dolphin Project (TDP), more than 4,500 trained volunteers from Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and 16 other states have collected population and other information on dolphins for scientists during the past two decades.

"TDP members have donated their skills and labor -- hundreds of thousands of hours so far -- and have contributed approximately $1 million from their own pockets to pay for boat fuel, photographic film, record-keeping and other costs," he said. Personnel of the U.S. government and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources have given technical assistance, educational classes and nautical charts. The volunteers’ work is conducted under a federal research permit.

"We use family-style motorboats on sections of coastal Georgia and South Carolina," Cutts said. "Identifying and keeping up with individual dolphins through photography is a major part of our work. We have identified approximately 850 individual dolphins."

A 20-year celebration and evening program will be held Saturday, July 18, 2009, in Richmond Hill, near Savannah. The public is invited. [And so are news reporters. See below for details.]
Cutts said members of The Dolphin Project, a nonprofit research and education organization, have taken a staggering number of photographs, approximately 600,000 from 1989 to 2009, to identify the health and travels of individual dolphins.

When a bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, surfaces to breathe, the fin on its back is momentarily visible in the air. The trailing edge of this dorsal fin has unique indentations and marks enabling researchers to identify an individual dolphin like a fingerprint can identify a person. With each photo of a dolphin, TDP members record the date, time, latitude and longitude.

"The trick is to get a clear photo from the side when the animal is up for air," said Peach Hubbard, the 2009 president of The Dolphin Project. "We are able to compare multiple photos of a particular dolphin over time and learn the extent of its range and often the other dolphins it associates with."

Cutts said many of the animals stay within a fairly small area, never photographed over the years more than 10 miles from their first sighting. Other dolphins are migrants, traveling north and south along the U.S. east coast and also from shallow to deep water, then returning.

The idea of training ordinary citizens -- a science background is not required -- to go on the water and collect basic data for marine-mammal scientists caught on immediately, said Cutts.
"I've watched the progression of public interest from our first meeting on Dec. 19, 1988, through the education classes and training in the early months of '89 to the first on-the-water research July 15, 1989," he said. "As more and more people participated, I recognized a deep motivation to work -- perhaps a bit sweaty in summer or chilly and maybe wet weather in winter -- on behalf of dolphins."

Early TDP leaders committed to completing 10 years of scientifically useful data on dolphins, said Cutts. "Now, with the hard work of many people, we've reached 20 years. It's an exciting accomplishment for all the people who have participated."
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Warnell researchers help discover smallest salamander in U.S.

Researchers from the University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources weren’t looking for anything new when they went exploring in the northeast part of the state. But they ended up making a big discovery of a tiny animal, finding a new species of salamander that could change what scientists know about some amphibians.

The newly discovered salamander, which is the second-smallest salamander species in the U.S. and one of the smallest in the world at just two inches long, is now under study by a diverse group of researchers from several U.S. colleges. The team is searching for more of the salamanders, which are detailed in a new paper appearing in the Journal of Zoology.

The discovering research team consists of Carlos Camp, professor at Piedmont College; Joe Milanovich, Warnell graduate student; Bill Peterman, University of Missouri graduate student; Trip Lamb, professor at East Carolina University; John Maerz, assistant wildlife professor at Warnell; and David Wake, professor at the University of California Berkeley.

The initial discovery came in spring 2007 near Toccoa, Ga., when Peterman and Milanovich stumbled across it while collecting another species of salamander in Stephens County. They knew they’d found an animal not known in that region but did not yet know it was a new species. Milanovich works with Maerz, a Warnell assistant professor of wildlife, and called him. Maerz advised them to take the salamander to Camp at Piedmont College, who recognized it as a new species. Lamb, a professor at East Carolina University, used genetics to confirm the new species and establish its relationship to other species in the region.

After the students found the first salamander, a female with eggs, in a creek, researchers went back repeatedly looking for others. That is when Maerz’s then 10-year-old son Jack and Milanovich found the first male specimen. The research team has found several individuals at the original site, including larvae, and they have found the new species at two other nearby locations in Georgia. Collaborators also found the species at a nearby site in South Carolina.

This discovery, according to Maerz, could yield exciting new information on the evolution of stream salamanders in this region.

“Whenever you find something new, it has the potential to change what we know about a range of related species,” he said. There are more than 560 species of salamanders worldwide, and approximately 10 percent are found in Georgia.”

But that’s not the only reason Maerz is excited. The new species was found in a well-traveled area in the middle of a creek right next to a road, almost hidden in plain sight.

To make such a find in an area with extensive human activity, Maerz said, proves that “there are still things out there to discover. It makes you wonder, what else is out there?”

With funding from The Environmental Resources Network (TERN), Milanovich and Camp are leading research efforts to describe the ecology of the tiny creatures.

“It is truly a once-in–a-lifetime opportunity to be involved in such a big find, particularly one right in our backyard,” Milanovich said. “The fact that it is such a unique animal makes it all the better and gives us more opportunity to continue to learn about the species. One of the best parts of being involved with this project is the collaboration that has come out of the species description, so I am excited to continue working with the other coauthors as we keep unpeeling the onion of U. brucei.”

The research team’s suggested common name is patch-nosed salamander, based on the lighter coloring on the tiny salamander’s nose. The formal Latin name is Urspelerpes brucei for Richard Bruce, professor emeritus at Western Carolina University and a well-respected, longtime salamander researcher who has connections to many members of the research team.

“Dr. Bruce has done much of the foundational work on stream salamander ecology in the region and on the evolution of miniaturization in salamanders, so naming this species after him is a good fit,” Maerz said.

Camp marveled at the find.

“This animal is so distinct that it belongs in its own genus, a taxonomic level used for grouping closely related species,” he said.“The real significance of this find is that it represents the first new genus of four-footed creature discovered in the United States in 50 years.”

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Zoo Atlanta's "Give So They Can Stay" Campaign

Does a global network of fans want to keep giant pandas in Atlanta? The answer is a resounding yes, according to an update from Zoo officials regarding the progress of the Give So They Stay campaign.

Since the campaign’s launch on June 17, 2009, donations of $43,000 have been collected in support of keeping giant pandas in Atlanta. Zoo officials report that the global grassroots initiative continues to generate an outpouring of popular support from individuals and businesses alike, with two exciting corporate partnerships now in place to provide friends of the beloved black-and-white bears with new and convenient ways to participate in the campaign.

HomeGrown Restaurant Concepts, the managing company of four popular intown dining spots, will donate 15 percent of sales to Zoo Atlanta on Tuesdays in July: July 7 at Stella Pasta Pizza and Spirits in Grant Park; July 14 at Doc Chey’s Noodle House in Virginia-Highlands; July 21 at Osteria 832 Pasta & Pizza in Virginia-Highlands; and July 28 at Doc Chey’s Noodle House in Emory Village.

Giant panda lovers can also show their support through magazine subscriptions, thanks to a new partnership with American Publishers Hearst Corporation. Now through December 31, 2009, Hearst will donate 40 percent of sales by shoppers who enter the code “ZOOATLANTA” while purchasing or renewing periodicals on www.aphearst.com.

The Give So They Stay campaign is geared toward ensuring that giant pandas continue to have a home in Atlanta, where they have become beloved by thousands around the world. Zoo Atlanta President & CEO Dennis Kelly announced this grassroots effort with news that Zoo Atlanta’s giant panda family would return to China without significant worldwide support.

Friends are encouraged to visit www.givesotheystay.org for ongoing announcements, program information, ways to give and answers to frequently asked questions. The campaign will continue through December 31, 2009.

Zoo Atlanta
800 Cherokee Avenue, S.E.
Atlanta, GA 30315
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