The sea turtle was found in June 2005 by Shawn, April and Allison Jones, who spotted the turtle while vacationing on the coast.
“We all ran to it,” Shawn Jones said, adding that the turtle was missing three flippers and in rough shape.
“She could barely lift her head. We don’t know how long she had been there,” said April Jones. “She was small, about the size of the palm of my hand.”
The turtle was named Allison, after the Jones’ now 6-year-old daughter, but given little chance of survival by the people who run a hospital for endangered animals, according to The Associated Press.
The turtle persevered, thanks to injections of antibiotics and a forced diet of squid. She is receiving care from a rescue group called Sea Turtles Inc., and now weighs 12 pounds and is normal size for her age.
“Allison’s doing great - excellent,” Shawn Jones said.
The family has been keeping up with her condition during the past two and a half years.
“I call and say, ‘this is Allison’s mom’ and they know exactly who I am,” Mrs. Jones said.
Usually, there are three or four reporters or camera crews on hand recording Allison’s progress, she said.
Now, the family is excited about the possibility of Allison being fitted with a prosthetic flipper, a procedure scheduled to be performed in a couple of weeks.
Three-flipper turtles can return to the sea and two-flipper turtles can survive in captivity. But those left with only one after predator attacks or run-ins with boat propellers are usually euthanized.
Because an Atlantic green sea turtle like Allison can grow to 450 pounds and live a century or so, her long-term prognosis with only one flipper is not promising.
University of Texas’ Dr. Sudarat Kiat-amnuay plans to develop a prosthetic using the same kind of silicon she uses to create facial prosthetics for humans. Her dental expertise helps because the kind of tiny hardware used in dental implants is probably the best size match for Allison’s bones.
Mrs. Jones said experts had tried to get a prosthetic before, but “there’s a lot of fine lines and paperwork because of her being an endangered species.”
A book about Allison’s journey - including her rescue on the Texas beach - is in the works. When published, the proceeds will go to help sea turtle rescue operations, such as Sea Turtle Inc.
“There are a lot of groups that do this kind of work,” Mrs. Jones said.
Once Allison receives the prosthetic flipper, she will still remain in captivity. “She would be like an ambassador,” she said. “Go to zoos and travel to let people know about sea turtles.”
