The Palm Beach County Zoo & Conservation Society has opened the first sea turtle rehabilitation center in West Palm Beach.
The move marks a milestone in South Florida marine conservation efforts. Operated by Sea Turtle Care and Conservation, the facility recently received its state permit and is functioning behind the scenes at the zoo at Dreher Park.
“Working in collaboration with the zoo has allowed us to open our eyes to more possibilities when it comes to turtle rehabilitation. Their mission aligns with ours, which is wildlife rehabilitation and conservation,” said Whitney Crowder, co-founder of the hospital and director of operations.
Three women who love turtles built West Palm hospital
Crowder has been working with sea turtles for “the majority of her life” and wanted to open a nonprofit hospital for them in West Palm Beach.
She met with longtime friend and colleague Samantha Clark, also a co-founder and director of clinical services at the hospital, to come up with a plan to provide care.
“Our founders are women, so we needed to stand out in a male-dominated field. We’re all strong women coming from very different background, different fields within sea turtle rehabilitation, and came together to build something that would leave a lasting impact,” said Clark.
Samantha Clark, co-founder and director of clinical services at the new Palm Beach Zoo sea turtle rehabilitation hospital, poses for a picture in the ‘Sea Turtle Learning Shack’ which is where most of the sea turtle work is done.
The other co-founder of the hospital is Emily Mercier, director of conservation.
There are over 200,000 turtle nests in South Florida alone, and with only two hospitals in the area, Crowder said there was a gap in the care they could offer.
“There’s a 100-mile gap between sea turtle hospitals in South Florida, one being in Miami and the other being Loggerhead (Marinelife Center). We recognized the need for more specialized sea turtle care and we knew we could help,” said Crowder, who once was the rehabilitation coordinator at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton.
How can you protect the sea turtles during a hatching?
People should not approach a nesting sea turtle or any hatchlings. While bystanders might want to help the sea turtles make it into the ocean, the best thing to do is to leave them be.
If they think the sea turtle needs assistance or see someone disturbing them, they can call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922).
You can also call the hospital’s 24/7 hotline at 561-782-2707.
Can we see the turtles during their rehabilition?
Though not yet open to the public, the center provides veterinary care with an expert team led by veterinarians Maria Chadam and Charles Manire. Currently, the center can treat 100 hatchlings.
The center may eventually welcome visitors, expanding educational opportunities and community engagement in ocean conservation.
“I personally cannot imagine a world without sea turtles in it, and my hope is that our work inspires others to care as deeply as we do for these animals,” Crowder said.
Francesca Abarca is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at fabarca@gannett.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach Zoo’s newest addition: Sea turtle rehabilitation hospital