Turtle Hospital Tours at the South Carolina Aquarium

How neat would it be to get a behind-the-scenes look at a turtle hospital? Well, now you can! The South Carolina Aquarium has opened up there sea turtle clinic for tours so that you can see the care they give to sick and injured turtles admitted to their hospital.

From their website:

You’ll meet the current “patients in residence,” and hear from staff and volunteers about the types of treatment and daily care that help to nurse them back to health. You’ll also hear case histories of some of the nearly 25 turtles that have successfully been released back into the wild. Plus, you’ll learn what you can do to help keep the local sea turtle population healthy.

Thirty-minute tours operate this season every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1:00 p.m.; for advance tickets, call (843) 579-8600. Admission is $10 per adult, $5 for children (2-12). Reservations are recommended.

This sounds like an awesome opportunity as well as a great experience for young and old alike.

Dress like a turtle for Halloween!

…Or you could just go hang out with a few for a good time (no costume required.) Tomorrow, there are two holiday events that are sure to be “spooktacular”!

From the Chicago Turtle Club website. (Event is in the Chicago area.):

Join your fellow turtle enthusiasts for an informal afternoon of turtle fun and knowledge. To celebrate Halloween, feel free to bring in your scariest turtle to thrill the gathered throng. As usual the public, children, and turtles are cordially invited. No turtle experience necessary. Free admission and parking.

Sunday, October 28
1:00 PM ’til 4:00 PM
North Park Village Nature Center Classroom
5801 North Pulaski Road - Chicago

For more information, e-mail Chicagoturtle@geocities.com.

From the Georgia Sea Turtle Center blog. (Event is held at Jekyll Island, GA.):

Looking for a way to get into the Halloween spirit? Well, put on that costume and head on down to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center! This Sunday, October 28th from 12-5pm you can trick or treat with the sea turtles at the first annual Turtleween!

We will have turtle-inspired games and crafts for kids of all ages, including face painting, cookie decorating, pumpkin painting, and more!

Come in costume and get $1 off admission! All kids wearing their most creative, original turtle costume will be entered in our costume contest.

Bring your treat bucket or design one here, and come trick or treat with the GSTC staff. We will all be in costume and we hope you will too! You gotta come check out our costumes! We’ll give you a hint… what do sea turtles eat?

This event is free with paid admission to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. For more information, call (912) 635-4076.

Win a chance to release a turtle!

If you live in the Caymans, you could win a chance to release a turtle during the Cayman Turtle Farm/Boatswain’s Beach 27th annual turtle release on Friday, November 16th. Apparently, they’ve been doing this since the 1980’s and have released over 31,000 turtles into the wild. I think that’s absolutely amazing.

Due to the commercial harvesting of sea turtles in the Caymans, a population that at one time was abundant is now almost extinct. Where once there were so many turtles, that even Christoper Columbus dubbed the Cayman Islands with the name “Las Tortugas”, there are now less than 30 adult female green sea turtles nesting there each year.

Farm raised turtles are being tagged and released into the wild with successful results. The data returned by the taggin is showing that they are following the migration patterns of wild turtles, allowing them to adapt to their new environment and potentially reproduce to increase the population of sea turtles. This is the reason why the turtle release is such a great thing!

Now wouldn’t that be neat if more coastal turtle rescue hubs did just the same? I would jump at this chance in a heartbeat! Wouldn’t you?