Advertisement

Florida dentist uses denture adhesive to help fix endangered sea turtle’s shell

In this photo provided by the Florida Keys News Bureau, Florida Keys dentist Fred Troxel, left, examines repairs he made to the fractured shell of Elena, an endangered green sea turtle, at the Turtle Hospital Thursday, Sept. 12, 2013, in Marathon, Fla. At right is Bette Zirkelbach, the hospital's manager. On Wednesday, Sept. 11, Troxel utilized a denture repair adhesive to bond two metal orthopedic plates across a 10-inch split on the turtle’s carapace. AP Photo/Florida Keys News Bureau, Andy Newman

MARATHON, Fla. – A dentist used denture repair adhesive to help mend an endangered green sea turtle’s fractured shell.

Fred Troxel used the acrylic resin to bond two metal orthopedic plates across a 25-centimetre split in the injured animal’s shell. On Thursday he examined Elena, a 18-kilogram adolescent reptile he had treated the day before.

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

The Turtle Hospital in the Florida Keys has been caring for Elena for a month, since the creature was recovered from a Key West beach. Officials believe the turtle washed up after it was hit by a boat.

Hospital manager Bette Zirkelbach says she is optimistic Elena can one day be released into the wild, but the reptile faces a lengthy road to a full recovery. She also has several fibropapilloma tumors that must be surgically removed.

Sponsored content

AdChoices