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Kemp's ridley hatchling

The mission of Sea Turtle, Inc. is to rescue, rehabilitate, and release injured sea turtles, educate the public, and assist with conservation efforts for all marine turtle species.


Sea Turtle, Inc. is located at 6617 Padre Boulevard, South Padre Island, Texas near the Convention Center toward the north end of the island.

Click here for a map.

Contact us at: (956) 761-4511

We are open to the public Tuesdays - Sundays from 10 am - 4 pm

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Volunteer Illustrator Needed

Sea Turtle, Inc. is looking for a talented book illustrator for a nearly complete children’s book telling the story of our famous one-flippered sea turtle named “Allison”. Much of the important work here in our rescue center hospital is handled by gifted volunteers who need a way to channel their love for these beautiful ancient creatures. The writing portion of Allison’s story has been completed. Only the illustrations remain to be done. Allison is the only sea turtle in the world with a stabilizing swim prosthesis. She is now an ambassador for sea turtle conservation and that makes her story worthwhile reading. The book covers an exciting mix of “plausible fiction” with ancient native North American Indian legend, blended with factual material giving the book a strong emphasis on conservation science.

If you would like to volunteer your talent as an illustrator and be part of a team of fourteen other champions of this remarkable little sea turtle, we would love to have you send us a sample of your stuff. The reward will be a printed acknowledgement in the book and your picture on the credit page with the other talented Allison heroes.

There are 72 illustrations to go with the book narrative. For a description of the scene we have chosen for candidates to illustrate please click below.

This contest will run until the end of February and the chosen artist will be contacted within the first week of March.

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Update January 15, 2010

Atlantic Green Cold Stunning

When water temperatures drop quickly in the Gulf of Mexico sea turtles can become "cold stunned". This refers to their systems becoming so cold that they become hypothermic. The turtles will then float and wash ashore. With the help of volunteers these cold sea turtles are rescued and brought to our facility. Sea Turtle, Inc. staff gives the turtles steroids and slowly warm them back up. A photo section has been created for the recent stranding event.

As of 1/10/10 we have had 102 Atlantic green sea turtles wash ashore due to cold stunning. 64 alive sea turtles are in the care of Sea Turtle, Inc. and the Coastal Studies Lab on South Padre Island.

As of 1/12/10 we have a total of 110 Atlantic greens that have stranded due to the cold stunning. Of those, around 70 are alive. Today at 1:30 pm. 45 of the turtles were released back to the wild. All released turtles were tagged with passive tagging devices. In the front left flipper of each is a metal "monel" tag and a PIT (Passive Integrated Transponder). The PIT tag is a small microchip. A second metal monel tag was also placed on the rear flipper of each sea turtle. We will not be able to track the animals with these tags.

As of 1/15/10 a total of 127 Atlantic greens have been affected by the cold waters. Of those 83 have survived and 44 are dead. We have released 70 of the surviving sea turtles. These numbers are for South Padre Island area only. Along the Texas coast the estimation is that over 400 Atlantic greens are "cold stunned". Of that total, around 150 sea turtles are estimated to be alive (including the 83 from down here). Many of the dead sea turtles are in remote locations and are difficult to retrieve.

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As of 1/17/10, the 15 Atlantic greens still in our care are doing well. Most of them are eating on their own. If the weather continues to stay warm we will be releasing more on Monday the 18th. For the most recent information on the cold stunned sea turtles please call us at (956)761-4511.

Sea Turtle, Inc. would like to thank everyone who has helped with this event. Without the care and time of volunteers we could not have had such a successful recovery of the sea turtles.

Cold Stunned Sea Turtles

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Update December 1, 2009

Need A Gift For That Person That Has Everything?

Adopt A Sea Turtle or Hatchling!

You can adopt one of our 5 resident sea turtles for $30. This will help care for the sea turtle for one month. You will receive a photo, certificate, information on that sea turtle and a free gift!

We also have an Adopt-A Hatchling program to fund the 2010 nesting season for $11. You will receive a photo, certificate, informative pamphlet and a coconut charm.

Sea Turtle Adoptions

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Update October 29, 2009

Come to A Sea Turtle Release!

Aggie the Loggerhead is ready to be returned to the Gulf of Mexico. How do you join in on this fun event? Come to Isla Blanca Park at 4:30 pm on Wednesday, November 4th. We will be meeting up at the North Pavilion inside Isla Park (North means the one farthest from the Jetties). We will be letting this 160 lb Loggerhead walk herself out into the Gulf. She has been in the care of Sea Turtle, Inc. since August. She had pneumonia which affected her buoyancy and was severely emaciated. She is now swimming and diving like a pro! Her rescuers will be attendance at the event ~ don’t miss out on this unique experience!

If you are not sure where Isla Blanca Park is located, it is at the southmost end of the island. Click here for a map.

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Update October 9, 2009

Buddy The Hawksbill Goes to Columbus Zoo in Ohio!

Early Wednesday morning Buddy the non-releasable hawksbill was boxed up and sent up to Ohio. This little guy was attacked by a predator as a baby and has been a resident at Sea Turtle, Inc for a number of years. Recently, thanks to help from the local Gladys Porter Zoo an adoption was set up. The Columbus Zoo has taken over the care of little Buddy. We received a special box from the zoo and sent him up north via American Airlines. Below is a link to the new photo section of how to prepare a sea turtle for air transport. We are sad to see Buddy go – but on the bright side he will now reside in a huge tank with lots of new places to explore!

Buddy  to Columbus Zoo

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Update October 1, 2009

Arribada Photos from Rancho Nuevo, Mexico

If you are reading this and wondering, "What is an arribada?" then you are not alone! An “arribada” refers to a rarely seen behavior of the Kemp's ridley sea turtle. The word literally means "the arrival" in Spanish. When this species of turtle comes ashore to lay its eggs they really do make their presence known. The Kemp’s ridley sea turtles nest from mid April – August on windy days in the company of a few thousand girlfriends. This type of group nesting in broad daylight is a unique trait to the ridleys. During the 2009 season, on the main nesting beach in Tamaulipas, Mexico (about two hundred miles south of the Texas/Mexico border). An estimated 5,000 turtles came ashore within a 2 day time period.

Click the link below to see some photographs taken by the biological team at the Rancho Nuevo beach.


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Update September 15, 2009

Allison is in People Magazine!

Make sure to get a copy of People Magazine in the above issue! Allison and her prosthetic jacket are on page 134 of the magazine. Also featured are some other amazing prosthetics which have been designed for injured animals such as eagles, dogs and dolphins. We are very excited about the coverage! Get your copy while you can!

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Come to a Sea Turtle Release!

Bowser & Wady the Atlantic greens are ready to be released from the care of Sea Turtle, Inc. This release will be open to the public through American Diving.

Reservations should be made through American Diving by calling (956)761-4243.

The release will be on Saturday, September 19th.

The boat will leave the dock at 5:30 pm sharp, so you should arrive early. The cost to go on this sunset dolphin cruise/turtle release is $16.00 for adults and $13.00 for children.

American Diving docks is located at the southern end of South Padre Island in the Sea Ranch Marina across from Schlitterbahn Water Park. Click below for a map to American Diving.

Click here for directions to American Diving.

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Update July 28, 2009

Newest Addition the the Sea Turtle, Inc. Crew!

Sea Turtle, Inc. is proud to welcome Ila Rachel to the world. Our staff educator, Lucia and her husband Ben have had their first child! Rachel was born on July 18, 2009. She weighed 9.0 lbs! This is the first baby to be born into the Sea Turtle, Inc. family that wasn't a sea turtle! We were all very pleased to hear that Rachel did not have flippers and a beak!

More photos of the new family will be posted shortly!

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Update July 24, 2009

Sea Turtle Nesting Season is Coming To An End

South Padre Island and Boca Chica beach patrols are coming to an end for the 2009 nesting season. The interns will be heading back to either school or new jobs within the next few weeks. We had a great season and were able to match the 2008 nesting record for the Texas coast. On South Padre Island we found 28 nests and on Boca Chica there were 9. All 37 were Kemp's ridley sea turtle nests. In addition to those 37, 5 in situ nests were also located. These are nests which we did not locate until after they hatched out in the wild. These nests are not protected from predators and have a lower success rate than the nests we place in our corral.

Over the next few weeks there is a possibility of Atlantic Green or Loggerhead sea turtles nesting on South Padre Island. We will be extending our patrols to look for these possible nesters. These turtle species are much larger than the Kemp's ridley. The tracks of these turtles are much easier to spot due to the higher body weight and size. Below is a photograph from a nesting Atlantic green we had in 2007. We are really hoping for some nesting Atlantic greens or loggerheads!

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June 16, 2009 Update

The First Babies Have Hatched!

The first 5 nests have emerged and released out to the wild. The very first public hatchling release was on June 13 at 7:00 am. There were at least 400 people attending the event. A total of 297 hatchlings were released on that saturday morning. We are anticipating more nests to hatch within the next week. For the most up to date information on the status of the nests please call Sea Turtle, Inc. at 9:00 pm. We will update the voicemail each night with the probability of a public hatchling release.

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April 8, 2009 News

Media Release Day for Allison the Atlantic Green Sea Turtle

Sea Turtle with only one flipper able to swim again aided by a stabilizing fin and scuba jacket

Video of Allison swimming now available!

Click to view a video of Allison swimming in her stabilizing jacket.

For photos of the Allison & her jacket, please check the photopage.

Contact: Jeff George, Curator, Sea Turtle Inc. 956.761.4511

South Padre Island, TX - Today, “Allison”, a five year old Green sea turtle missing three flippers will be enclosed in a snug black neoprene “ninja” jacket with a long Velcro enclosure. (photo). A Sea Turtle, Inc. (STI) staff person wearing scrubs with “Sea Turtle Hospital” emblazoned across the back will adjust a carbon fiber “fin” that runs along the turtles back extending well beyond the shell. A second staffer will then carefully lift the 27 pound turtle and slip it into a 4 foot deep tank. Today’s public demonstration will document a major quality of life change for the turtle. Stress free, Allison now swims and dives with ease.

“Allison” stranded in June 2005 about 12 miles north of Sea Turtle Inc. on South Padre Island a victim of a shark attack that took 3 flippers. She escaped euthanasia only by pleas from staff and interns. The turtle has only the right front flipper and until now has been limited to moving in tight 360 degree circles in a tank with no more than 10” of water.

There has been a lot of effort over the last couple of years to develop a prosthesis for the turtle with one attempt at a fake rear flipper that was unsuccessful. Thinking outside the box, Tom Wilson, a 2008 summer intern at STI began observing “Allison” in her tank sketching her movements. He noted that if the force of the thrust of her only remaining flipper could be controlled, maybe it could be channeled into moving her forward.

Discussions with STI Curator Jeff George and Gladys Porter Zoo (Brownsville, TX) veterinarian Dr. Tom DeMaar produced the go ahead for the attempt. Permission was granted mainly because the effort would be totally non-invasive or harassing to the turtle.

Wilson laid his own scuba jacket over a drawing of “Allison’s” measurements. A pattern was cut and sewn by a Sea Turtle Inc. volunteer. A wooden rudder was attached and weighted, and the prototype was successfully tested. Work immediately began on a more streamline version of the jacket for today’s demonstration.

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February 17, 2009 News

Unique Sea Turtle Research Project Needs Funding
Click for Yahoo News Video Injured Sea Turtle "Allison" to get Prosthesis.

Sea Turtle, Inc., The Gladys Porter Zoo, and the University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston have formed a partnership to create a workable prosthesis for a one flippered green sea turtle. A sea turtle prosthesis has never been done. To contribute toward the medical expenses for “Allison” a three year old green sea turtle, click on the icon below.

* ADOPT ALLISON THE GREEN SEA TURTLE *

Adoptions are a donation made to care for and feed a turtle for one month. Sea Turtle, Inc. spends approximately $1 per day per turtle for human quality seafood and romaine lettuce. You will receive a photo of Allison, a short biography of her, general information about green sea turtles and Sea Turtle, Inc. and a small gift. For the most recent photographs or news on Allison, please check the photo section within the "Current Residents" section. Click here for photos of Allison!


Adopt A Turtle online via Credit Card
using the secure PayPal service

$30.00

 

Sea Turtle Inc Mission Help Sea Turtles Turtle News Sea Turtle Photos
Turtle Gifts The Turtle Lady Sea Turtle Lessons Turtle Talks
Species of Sea Turtles Adopt A Sea Turtle Turtle Kids Activities Live Sea Turtle Cam
  Recommended Places To See Volunteers & Interns Hatchlings  

 


Welcome to Sea Turtle Inc., located in South Padre Island Texas on the Gulf of Mexico.
Sea Turtle, Inc. was founded in 1977 by Ila Loetscher, better known as "The Turtle Lady of South Padre Island." STI was formed to aid and assist in the protection of Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle - and to ultimately restore the Ridley population to a level that will ensure its survival. Through the years STI has expanded its scope to actively support the conservation of all marine turtle species. To achieve its goals, STI provides educational programs to schools, tourist bureaus, civic organizations and news media. Sea Turtle, Inc. - a not-for-profit organization - assists and supports the United States Dept. of the Interior with their efforts to establish a nesting beach for the Kemp's Ridley sea turtle within the National seashore protected area of North Padre Island, off the coast of Corpus Christi. You can view the turtles at Sea Turtle Inc. on the live web cam.
 
Thank you for visiting Sea Turtle, Inc.