Biochemical Parameter Analysis of Rescued Olive Ridley Sea Turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea)

Abstract

Background: The olive ridley sea turtle also known as the Pacific ridley sea turtle is a medium-sized species of turtle found in warm and tropical waters, primarily in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Sea Turtles are an integral part of coastal and marine ecosystems, they have also been fundamental to the culture of coastal societies for millennia. But human activities over the past 200 years have massively tipped the scales against the survival of these ancient mariners, despite its conservation status the olive ridley are considered vulnerable. The aim of the study was to collect biochemical data on olive ridley sea turtles while drawing comparisons with previous published data on sea turtles. Methods: This research work was carried out in rescued Olive Ridley Sea Turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) which were stranded or rescued during various periods of breeding season from September, 2017 to April, 2018 by Trust for Environmental and Education (TREE) foundation, Vettuvankeni, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The Clinical samples were collected from 7 sea turtles in rescue centers and examined for biochemical parameters analysis. The biochemical parameters measured were Glucose, cholesterol, Total protein, albumin and globulin, Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN), Creatinine, Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), Calcium and Phosphorus. The statistical analyses of data were carried out by using student’s t-test. Result: The results of this study were more or less unfailing with previous studies but variations with other studies may result from values depends upon the geospatial distribution such as species, age, sex, season, sample site, nutrition and management condition. The data in this research was more specific to olive ridley sea turtles, indicating need to standardize reference values because of little know data on these turtle species, which are intended for health evaluation for free-ranging and captive/rescued sea turtles.