One of our newest patients receives an injection.

Between Friday and Sunday, our Sea Turtle Healing Center admitted a whopping 13 green sea turtles. We’re not sure what caused this influx.

The turtles arrived in a debilitated state, covered in algae and barnacles that interfered with their ability to swim. Some are suffering from additional ailments like inflammation and sepsis. They are being treated with fluids, antibiotics, vitamins, nutritional support and a safe place to rest.

Though we typically only hold around 12 sea turtles at a time, our ever-resourceful staff and volunteers creatively reconfigured the Healing Center to accommodate an all-time high of 26 patients as other facilities in the state also neared capacity. On Monday, 12 turtles were transferred to the Turtle Hospital in Marathon.

We’re working as hard as we can to get these guys back on their flippers and out in the ocean. Situations like this underscore the importance of sea turtle rehabilitation in our state and we hope to expand our facility in the near future.

If you find a sea turtle that appears to be in distress, contact Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission or Sea Turtle Preservation Society.