The Turtle Hospital
| The Turtle Hospital | |
|---|---|
Exterior of the main hospital building | |
Interactive map of The Turtle Hospital | |
| 24°42′35″N 81°06′06″W / 24.70973°N 81.1017°W | |
| Date opened | 1986 |
| Location | Marathon, Florida, United States |
| Website | Official website |
The Turtle Hospital is a veterinary hospital and rehabilitation center for sea turtles located in Marathon, Florida. It operates as a non-profit organization with the main goals of rescuing, rehabilitating, and releasing sick and injured turtles.
History
Richie Moretti purchased the Hidden Harbor Motel in 1981 and repurposed its saltwater pool as an aquarium for fish. Children visiting the aquarium, influenced by the popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, repeatedly asked to see a turtle.[1] Because of their endangered status, the only way the state would permit him to keep sea turtles was as part of a rehabilitation program. This led Moretti to found The Turtle Hospital in 1986.[2]
A former strip club building next door was acquired in 1991 and converted into the main hospital building.[2] Lodging operations at the motel stopped in 2005.[3]
Operations
The Turtle Hospital's facilities include an operating room, an ambulance van, a 100,000 US gallons (380,000 L) tide pool, and 23 smaller tanks.[4][5]
The hospital maintains a hotline for the local community to report animals in distress and assists with rescue efforts from other areas.[6]
The main conditions treated are injuries from boat strikes and entanglement in plastic, as well as tumors caused by fibropapillomatosis.[7] Since its founding, the hospital has treated over 3,000 turtles.[8] After treatment, turtles are returned to their natural habitats or kept in pools at the hospital if their condition would render them vulnerable in the wild.[4]
The hospital offers regular guided tours of the premises to visitors and school groups, attracting approximately 70,000 visitors annually as of 2015,[9] and maintains a social media presence providing treatment updates.[7]
References
- ^ McGuinness, Paul (17 Oct 2024). "Key to Change". BBC Wildlife Magazine.
- ^ a b Sedensky, Matt (7 August 2009). "Lucky survivors rescued by Fla. turtle hospital". The Daily News, Huntingdon, PA. Associated Press.
- ^ Filosa, Gwen (16 April 2018). "In the Keys, turtles will always have their own hospital". Miami Herald. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
- ^ a b Baker, Donald (16 November 1997). "Letter From The Florida Keys; Putting Ailing Turtles On Road to Recovery". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Our Facility". The Turtle Hospital. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
- ^ Staletovich, Jenny (10 December 2025). "Rare Kemp's ridley sea turtles rescued off New England on the mend at Keys turtle hospital". WLRN. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
- ^ a b Gibbens, Sarah (30 January 2018). "This Hospital Is Devoted to Saving Sea Turtles". National Geographic. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
- ^ Cuervo, Sebastian (15 January 2026). "Turtle Hospital in Marathon gives endangered sea turtles a second chance at life". WSVN 7News. Retrieved 28 March 2026.
- ^ Klingener, Nancy (28 September 2015). "Keys Turtle Hospital On Cutting Edge Of Saving Sea Turtles". WLRN. Retrieved 28 March 2026.