June 18 The Turtle Hospital

      After leaving John Pennekamp, we check into the Marriott Courtyard Hotel in Key Largo, our "home" for the next three nights. We had a little "drama" on that first evening, first at the pool and then later in the hotel. Ahhh whats a trip without a little drama. But today was a new day and we would be visiting the Turtle Hospital. It was an early rise...5:30 for me and 6:30 for the kids. After breakfast we headed south to Marathon Key. Founded in 1986, The Turtle Hospital has as it's motto Rescue, Rehab,Release, and part of its mission is to educate the public about sea turtles so that laws can be passed to make waters and beaches safe for them.

     After a twenty minute talk, telling the students about the work of the Turtle Hospital. and the diseases and the environmental hazards that turtles face we had a tour of the facility. The first stop was the operating and treatment rooms. We heard stories of Green Sea Turtles contracting fibropapilloma virus which causes infectious tumors all throughout their bodies. This is a worldwide epidemic and the Turtle Hospital has pioneered much of the treatments and surgical procedures used throughout the world. We heard about Loggerhead and Hawksbill turtles that get caught in fish nets, swallow or get injured by legal and illegal fishhooks or ensnared  by fishing line. And we were introduced to the rare Kemp's Ridley turtles that were struck by propellers on boat motors. We saw x-rays, heard about amputations and on the positive side release stories of those healthy to return to their habitat. On this day a small Kemp's Ridley would be released just a few miles from where we were.

     The highlight would be the turtles of course and so after the lessons we went out to meet Chris, Crusher, Hollarry, Henderson, Karsten, Bubble Butt and the rest. We visited some recent arrivals, some that had fibropapilloma tumors removed, some the would be released and some like Bubble Butt that would are permanent residents. Bubble Butt is the Turtle Hospital's oldest resident (21 years). He has a deformed shell (due to a boating accident) and cannot dive without the aid of weights that are attached. You can read more about the Hospital and their "patients" at http://www.turtlehospital.org/