Lucky Sea Turtles!

On Friday, March 13, fishermen off the coast of Sanibel, found a Loggerhead sea turtle. The turtle was tangled in crab trap line. The turtle was quickly rescued with help from CROW and SCCF. The aproximately 300 lb turtle appeared to have no serious injury, and happily swam away. I'd say that was one lucky turtle!

Yesterday, a Loggerhead was found swimming near the dock of, the Turtle Hospital in Marathon in the Florida Keys. The turtle has been checked into the hospital with a bacterial infection in its bloodstream. Makes you wonder how it knew where to go for treatment. :-) Read the news article and see a short video.

Icy Sea Turtle

My friend Gayle, who lives in Fairbanks, Alaska, posted photos of some beautiful ice sculptures there. Of course the sea turtle caught my eye and I asked her if I could share it here. You might want to drop by her blog to see the other amazing sculptures.

This is certainly a big contrast to our 8o+ degree weather here. :-) You know, it's getting near turtle season againn.

"Lefty" Is Feeling Left Out

The Topsail North Carolina Sea Turtle Hospital has humans out gathering coquinas to keep the little Loggerhead Lefty, happy. The rough seas associated with Hurricane Hannah, washed him and several other hatchlings in to shore, in September. The others quickly gained strength and were released. But Lefty with only one flipper, is still left behind. Read the really cute story about him and also see photos of him on arrival and now. They have definitely been keeping him fed. :-)

Sea Turtles Travel For People Training

Have you wondered what the sea turtle hospitals do when they run out of room for more patients, or where the turtles go when their injuries prevent them from being released back into the wild? Well, one idea is to send them off to do 'people training'. Being sent as an ambassador for your species is quite an honor.

This honor has been bestowed upon a few sea turtles that have been sent to Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration, Mystic, CT, where they will help educate visitors about the plight of sea turtles and how they can help.

Read an article about some new classes available at Mystic and about the creatures that will be assisting.

Get Back In Touch With The Turtles

If you are looking for a low-cost educational place to travel to, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center might just be the place for you. Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for children 4 to 12, and $5 for seniors, 65 and over. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Information: 912-635-4444 or georgiaseaturtlecenter.org.

The center for the care of sick and injured sea turtles is located on Jekyll Island at southeastern Georgia, and it's definitely a place to visit while touring Jekyll's historic district.

There is an educational center where you can view graphics, photos, and data that follows the journey of sea turtles from eggs to adulthood and why some species are endangered.

Visitors can walk through the hospital at their own pace to view the turtles and read about them. In the "sick bay" patients are in the large tanks, you can observe the treatment and rehabilitation center, which is manned by a full-time staff. People are invited to watch live procedures.

In the meantime, you can go to their website to check in on the patients. There are several interesting patients there now; each one has a personality all of it's own. It's amazing to watch their progress.

Just a reminder of some turtle-friendly rules: Never disturb sea turtle nests, stakes that mark a nest, or eggs. Fill in sand castles or holes on the beach that could trap small hatchlings. Stay off sand dunes that are important habitats for sea turtles, shorebirds, and other wildlife. Recycle used fishing line. Discarded line can entangle sea turtles and other marine animals.