SOUTH PADRE ISLAND — For a little more than a decade, Hang Ten has been receiving care from Sea Turtle, Inc. as one of the facility’s permanent residents.
The Kemp’s Ridley is known by many as being an educator and ambassador for sea turtle conservation, as well as being a fan of eating shrimp.
On Sunday, Sea Turtle, Inc. is going to celebrate Hang Ten’s 12th birthday.
Hang Ten will be fed a shrimp diet and a special birthday treat at 10:30 a.m.
There will be activities near the residents’ tanks and visitors will also be able to play cornhole.
Birthday cards for Hang Ten will be in the facility’s museum.
Additionally, there will be a raffle for a framed Hang Ten photo, a Hang Ten adoption packet and a private resident feeding that will be held the following Monday from 9:30 to 10 a.m., if the winner’s schedule permits.
One ticket costs $5 and two tickets cost $8. As part of the global Plastic Free July movement, one free raffle entry will be given to those who bring five pieces of trash from the beach.
Hang Ten is the only resident sea turtle whose exact age is known. The Kemp’s Ridley hatched from a nest during Sea Turtle, Inc.’s nesting season on July 11, 2009.
According to Sea Turtle, Inc. personnel, Hang Ten was released on the beach with the rest of the hatchlings from her nest, but washed up several hours later.
The sea turtle was born with a unique birth defect. Her front flipper was forked and curled underneath her body.
Plans were in place to release her when she grew larger, but personnel discovered that she would not survive in the wild because of diving problems and difficulty hunting.
Hang Ten’s birth defects affect her flipper, shell and eye, so she is unable to be released and is a permanent resident of Sea Turtle, Inc.
When Hang Ten was smaller, she visited local events and schools to educate the public. Now that she is older and weighs more than 50 pounds, Hang Ten is too large to travel, but still educates the public through visits to the facility and virtually.
For more information about Sea Turtle, Inc., visit www.seaturtleinc.org.
