For March (our final campaign), we are supporting the Green Sea Turtle, and our chosen organization is Brevard Zoo’s Sea Turtle Healing Center, which opened in Melbourne, Florida in April 2014. The facility includes two separate holding facilities with a total of 14 tanks for sea turtle care. About 100 patients are seen at the Healing Center each year.
Patients are brought to the Healing Center for various reasons. In addition to providing much-needed rest, experienced staff and dedicated volunteers use a combination of medication, surgeries, and nutrition to nurse the turtles back to health and, ideally, return them to the water. Their veterinary team is always looking for new, innovative treatments.
The STHC at Brevard Zoo has made a tremendous impact on the community and it’s time to expand. Brevard Zoo’s second campus, an aquarium, begins construction in fall 2024 and will feature a state-of-the-art Sea Turtle Care Complex. This additional facility will allow the organization to support the rehabilitation and release of many more sea turtles in need.
Sea turtles are a defining part of the Melbourne community, and the Sea Turtle Healing Center is integral to rescuing these beloved animals!
Beautiful limited-edition glass pieces by Kathleen Sheard, featuring the silhouette of a Green Sea Turtle. 1/3 of the purchase price will benefit the Sea Turtle Healing Center and the animals they protect. We can ship anywhere.
Green Sea Turtle Spotlight
Adult Green Sea Turtles can weigh 150-400 pounds and grow 30-47 inches long. As the only herbivore among sea turtle species, the Green Sea Turtle helps to keep seagrass and algae beds healthy by pruning them! They are named for the color of their fat and cartilage, and the colors of their shells vary enough that in some parts of the world, they are known as Black Sea Turtles. Green Sea Turtles live in tropical and subtropical oceans and may migrate as far as 1600 miles. It takes a female GST 30-50 years to reach breeding age!
Their perils include the usual culprits: overharvesting eggs, hunting of adults, being caught up in fishing gear, ingesting plastics, boat strikes, and losing beach nesting sites. The button below will take you to a short video about the STHC facility.
