The removal of Skillie the Tortoise's tumour from his neck

Skillie, the tortoise, has been part of the HESC family for many years. We do not have the exact date of his arrival, but we do know that he was confiscated from his previous owner, and brought into our care at HESC. He had a small hole on the back of his shell, which usually indicates that he had most likely had been chained.

Wildlife_Vet_tortoise_tumour_HESC
Dr.Janelle Goodrich and Dr. Peter Rogers take a look at Skillie

The direct translation of tortoise in Afrikaans is “Skilpad,” and so we named him “Skillie.”  He is now a sizable 12Kilogram tortoise.
Dr_rogers_tortoise_Vet
Dr. Rogers preparing the tortoise for treatment

Sadly, we noticed that Skillie had a growth on the inside of his neck. We took him to wildlife vet Dr. Peter Rogers and his team to assist, and they successfully removed a large tumour from inside of his neck, which was hindering the movement of his neck. They also reported that he had a bad case of pneumonia.
operating_on_Skillie_tortoise
Operating on Skillie the tortoise

We brought him back to HESC as soon as Dr. Rogers said he was ready, and although the prognosis was not good, he has been doing ok, eating more with each day, and moving slowly, though we would prefer to see a bit more movement out of him.
Tortoise_tumour_vet
The tumour was removed

It has been just under two weeks since the procedure, and we remain hopeful for a full recovery. We will keep you updated.
The HESC Team