The following 4 sea turtles will stay at The Turtle Hospital for the remainder of their lives and can be ‘adopted’, click here to learn about our adoption program.
Bender: adult female Kemp’s Ridley. Boat hit and lobster trap entanglement resulting in loss of left front flipper. Weights help to swim better. Stranded on 2/17/05.
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April: 200-lb adult male Green. Fibropapilloma took over right eye which had to be removed. Left eye has shadow vision. (Blind sea turtles cannot survive in the wild as they rely heavily on sight.) Stranded on 4/1/1990.
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Montel: Green. The sea turtle “poster child.” Monofilament entanglement resulting in amputation of right front flipper. Shark attack bit off half of left front flipper leaving only half a front flipper remaining. Fibropapilloma and boat hit resulting in loss of one eye and indented shell. Stranded on 4/7/2001.
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The rest of our permanent residents are up for adoption to zoos/aquariums around the world:
Sekoi: 30-lb Green. Fibropapilloma caused loss of one eye and boat hit resulted in permanent floating. Weights on the rear of the shell helps to offset the buoyancy. Stranded 2/21/2007.
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Kent: Green. Fibropapilloma tumors removed, boat strike causes floating. Weight system offsets buoyancy. Stranded 9/19/2007.
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Coastie: Green. Boat strike causes floating. Small circular weight on rear of shell offsets buoyancy. Stranded 11/2/1999.
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George: Female juvenile Green. Treated for FP tumors and boat hit which causes George to permanently float. Attached weight offsets buoyancy. Stranded 2/17/11 in New Smyrna Beach, FL.
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Chance: 70 lb. Green. Boat hit caused deformation of shell and a small fracture. Stranded on 9/29/13 offshore of Key Largo, FL. Weights are attached to shell to offset buoyancy and allow Chance to dive below the surface.
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Corrie: Juvenile Green. Originally found in Palm Beach County, FL in September 2013. Treated at Loggerhead Marinelife Center before transfer to The Turtle Hospital on 8/14/14. “Bubble Butt Syndrome” and is non-releasable, wears weights to offset buoyancy. Giant ball of fire!
Want a sea turtle in your hometown zoo/aquarium? Send a letter to the organization referencing The Turtle Hospital’s permanent residents and emphasizing how acquiring a sea turtle can further the zoological mission of education and conservation. If there is a public desire for one of these amazing endangered animals, then your zoo will do its best to please you! We even send them internationally, like Weymouth Sea Life Adventure Park in the United Kingdom! Check out Key West Aquarium or Theater of the Sea for some of our past permanent residents as well.