Turtle In Alabama Gets CT Scan, Becomes Hospital's First Animal Patient. See Pics

In quite a rare event, an endangered Kemp's Ridley sea turtle, got a CT scan done at the Decatur Morgan Hospital in Alabama, US, becoming the first-ever animal patient at the hospital. Pictures of the visit were shared by the Cook Museum of Natural History, where Kale has been living since 2020. 

Notably, the turtle got caught in a fishing hook by a fisherman in 2019 and suffered an injury to its shell that made it more prone to getting deep infections. Owing to injuries, it can't be sent back to the sea. The museum staff said because of its ongoing medical issues, it needs regular veterinarian visits and treatment, Miami Herald reported.

The CT scan was done to allow the hospital's imaging team, along with veterinarians and museum staff, to see how Kale's infection is healing.

The hospital wrote, ''Kale made history today as the first animal to receive a CT scan at Decatur Morgan Hospital. The CT scan is the best tool to assess the improvement of Kale's deep infections of his shell. A big Thank You to the Decatur Morgan Hospital staff and associates as well as our Museum and veterinary staff who made this possible.''

See the pictures here:

“The veterinarians had to hold the turtle to keep it from jumping off the table and keep it relatively still,” one radiologist told WAFF.

''Of course, he's a sea turtle so I can't tell him what he's about to go through but we do a procedure with him every week so he's used to coming out of the water, he's used to being around us. He doesn't necessarily like that all the time just like anybody wouldn't want to always go to the doctor,'' said Cassandra Worlund, Live Animal Manager at Cook Museum of Natural History.

Also called the Atlantic ridley sea turtle, it is among the most rare species of sea turtles in the world. Their population was decimated between the 1940s and 1980s, leaving just 250 nesting female turtles, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported.

The Smithsonian Institute  estimates that around 4,600 sea turtles are killed each year in US waters due to fishing nets and hooks.