ABQ BioPark Aquarium favorite, Mimi the sea turtle, has died

UPDATE

Mimi the loggerhead sea turtle’s age was unknown, but it was estimated that she was around 75 years old. She was rescued by the New England Aquarium in Boston and treated for cold shock. She was missing one eye when she first arrived at the BioPark.

Veterinarians had been watching her particularly closely this season because she has recently refused to eat. This behavior is normal during a seasonal period when sea turtles might produce eggs. If a sea turtle is unable to return to the beach where they hatched, they typically will just reabsorb the follicles that don’t become eggs, and their appetite returns.

However, this season, this natural process did not happen normally, and Mimi continued to refuse to eat. Recently, the concerned animal care team took her to the veterinary clinic for an exam. Results showed some mineralized structures in her abdomen that looked abnormal, in addition to dozens of follicles in the abdomen that were abnormally sized.

The decision was made to schedule surgery to try to remove them. During the surgery, it was confirmed that the follicles were not being reabsorbed like normal, and many had started to decay while others showed signs of infection. It was clear that Mimi was not going to recover, so the animal care team and veterinary staff made the difficult decision to euthanize her while she was still under anesthesia.

“Mimi meant a lot to our entire Aquarium care team,” said Theresa Nietfeld, Aquarium Curator. “She has been part of the Aquarium for over 25 years and has been cared for by many generations of aquarists.”

August 14

One of the ABQ BioPark Aqaurium’s longtime residents, a loggerhead sea turtle named Mimi, will be undergoing surgery soon.

Every summer, female sea turtles search for beaches to lay their eggs. In Mimi’s case, she was rescued approximately 30 years ago and has called the BioPark her home ever since.  It’s common for sea turtles in human care to forgo laying eggs and reabsorb the follicles that don’t become eggs. During these few months, Mimi’s appetite typically lessens to prepare for laying any eggs before realizing she doesn’t need to. Her care team monitors her during this time in case anything appears to be out of the norm.

Recently, Mimi’s appetite has still not returned to where it usually does at this point.  After an ultrasound of her body cavity, it showed that she still had many follicles, which isn’t unusual for Mimi. She was given supportive care medications to see if that would help with her appetite.

Mimi was still not eating as she should. This led to her being taken to the zoo’s veterinary clinic, a first for her. There, her veterinary staff ran tests, took x-rays, checked blood work, and performed another ultrasound. Results showed some mineralized structures in her abdomen that look abnormal, in addition to dozens of follicles in the abdomen that were abnormally sized. This could be taxing on Mimi’s system. There’s also the possibility that those structures and follicles could be infected.

After more supportive care and fluids were given to Mimi with no change to her appetite, the decision was made to schedule surgery to remove as many of those structures as possible. Once those follicles and structures are removed, the tissue will be sent to a pathologist for evaluation.

This surgery is considered invasive, which is why all other non-invasive options were exhausted first. “It’s not something we jump to right away, but all signs are indicating that this problem is not going to solve itself,” said BioPark Senior Veterinarian Dr. Carol Bradford. “Her care is top notch and we’re doing everything that we can for her.”

The BioPark’s veterinary staff will schedule the surgery soon. We will continue to provide updates when we learn more about Mimi’s prognosis.