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Sea Turtle, Inc.

South Padre Island, Texas

Mission of Sea Turtle Inc

 

 

 

Meet the sea turtles

Live Sea Turtle Cam

 

 

 

Sea Turtle Gifts

 

 

 

 

Sea Turtle Conservation
Sea turtle rescue
Sea Turtles of the World
Donate to Sea Turtle Inc

 

 

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 on 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

 

 

 

June 26, 2009

Name a Kemp's ridley hatchling contest

A washed back Kemp's ridley hatchling needs a name. A visitor found this little guy on the beach after it had been attacked by a small predator on 3 of it's flippers. To participate in the contest please go to the "Current Residents" section of the photopage. A photo of the hatchling will be posted on there tonight (Friday, June 26th). Name ideas should be posted as a a comment underneath the photo. The contest will end on Monday, July 6th. Staff members and interns will choose their favorite name as the winner. Good luck!

Click here to go to the "Naming Contest" contestant page

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June 24, 2009

Come to a Sea Turtle Release!

JC the Atlantic green is 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 Wednesday, July 1st.

The boat will leave the dock at 7:00 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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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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June 4, 2009 Update

Maggie's Intern Blog

One of our summer interns, Maggie now has a blog dedicated to her experiences here as a Sea Turtle, Inc. intern. Some of you may remember Anna's blog from a couple years ago. We are very happy to have another intern doing a blog about her summer! If you would like to read the blog click on the link below.

Click here for Maggie's blog!

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May 5, 2009 Update

Come to a Sea Turtle Release!

We have a bunch of Atlantic greens that are ready to be released from the care of Sea Turtle, Inc. These releases are open to the public through American Diving. Reservations should be made through American Diving by calling (956)761-4243.

The releases will be on May 13th & May 20th at 6:00 pm.

The boat will leave the dock at 6:00 pm sharp, so you should arrive early. The cost to go on this sunset dolphin cruise/turtle release is $13.00 for adults and 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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May 2 , 2009 Update

Check Out A New Section On the Webpage

There is now a "2009 Nesting Season & Hatchling Update" Webpage on Seaturtleinc.org. On this page we will have the most updated information regarding how many nests have been found, when they are estimated to hatch out and information on attending a public hatchling release.

Click on the hatchling below to check this new section out for yourself!

or Click here to see the Nesting Season Page

(A new button is also located at the menu on the top of the website as well)

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April 14, 2009 News

Website Was Down But Not Out!

A Media Star is Born & Two New Turtles at The Hospital.

Our website has been down for almost an entire week due to a server problem. Thankfully the issue has been resolved. During this down time a lot has been happening at Sea Turtle, Inc.

Below is the story regarding Allison the Atlantic green sea turtle's media release story. There has been a ton of interest from the media regarding Allison's jacket and Tom Wilson, our intern that developed the suit. A new page will be created soon that will cover this media coverage. The beginning of this list includes, The Today Show, The Associated Press, Houston Chronicle, The Brownsville Herald, The Island Breeze, MSNBC affliates, AOL, YaHoo (just to name of few).

We also have 2 new sea turtles in the hospital. They are a transfer and a new stranding. The transferred turtle is a 147 lb loggerhead named "Jenny" from The Ark in Port Aransas, Texas. She has shell damage possibly due to a boat injury. The back flippers of this loggerhead are not fully functional and we were pleased to take in the care of Jenny from The Ark. The other new arrival is a juvenile Atlantic green that stranded near the south jetties on the Island. The folks that found this little guy have yet to pick a name. We will be posting photos of these two newbies very soon under the "Current Residents" section of the photopage.

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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

Hawksbill Sea Turtles Go To Dallas World Aquarium

 

Two of Sea Turtle, Inc.'s non-releasable hawksbill sea turtles have been adopted by the Dallas World Aquarium. Isla & PattiCake had been patients in the hospital for a number of years.

 

"Isla" was missing parts of 3 flippers from a predator attack and used to have a severe bouyancy problem due to a blunt strike to the shell. The bouyancy problem fixed itself over the years, which made Isla a likely candidate for placement in an aquarium.

 

"PattiCake" was also attacked by a predator in the wild and was missing parts of all 4 flippers.

 

 

The enclosure for the hawksbills at the Dallas World Aquarium is a 9,000 gallon reef tank with many new and exciting places to explore, wedge into and hide. Photos of Patti & Isla being taken out the transport vehicle are on the photo page.

 

Click here to see pictures of Isla & PattiCake leaving Sea Turtle, Inc.

 

Dallas World Aquarium will be posting more information on the new turtles under their care on their website in the future. For more on the Dallas World Aquarium: http://www.dwazoo.com/d/

 

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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.




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