Timothy Chapman
04/24/2023
After a decade’s worth of planning, Sea Turtle Inc. in South Padre Island will build the world’s largest enclosed sea turtle hospital by 2024, which will be built on the same land where the old facility has stood for the past 45 years.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of Sea Turtle Inc. Wendy Knight, Sea Turtle Inc. is a nonprofit organization in South Padre Island that was created 45 years ago to rescue and rehabilitate endangered sea turtles.
Knight said Sea Turtle Inc. receives anywhere from 45 to 125 sea turtle patients every year. With the reason for building the new hospital to better keep up with the demands of patient care due to the small size of the former facility, which was also exposed to the outdoor elements.
She spoke about what the most common culprit is, causing sea turtles to be rescued and treated in Sea Turtle Inc.
“It’s human intervention, so that could mean they [sea turtles] ate something that was left in the water that’s not food, they got hit by a boat, they got hooked by fishing equipment, so for I think last year almost 50% of the patients we had in the hospital were there because they interacted in some way with a human element,” Knight said.
Many new services are also coming to the new facility with some of them being exclusive to Sea Turtle Inc. Knight spoke about how the new surgical suite will be twice the size of the prior one which will eliminate having to take sea turtles off site to another surgical center.
“It’ll also have a fully dedicated CT scan machine and at this point, that will be the only fully sea turtle dedicated CT scan machine anywhere, so we will have a full CT scan room and machine with an observation deck as well for the public to be able to watch which will eliminate us again having to take the animal off site to get diagnostic care,” Knight said.
Chief Conservation Officer Amy Bonka, PH.D. said the new research center will help advance medical needs as well as answer conservation questions, which can affect the sea turtle population as a whole.
“I think one of the big aspects is going to be that research center so we haven’t had designated lab space on site ever before and that will allow us to look at questions that can really make a difference in sea turtle conservation and sea turtle rehabilitation,” Bonka said.
Bonka said it is very exciting to be able to build on the past 45 years that has led to this point now on building this new facility.
“I think we’re really excited about this new facility and all the different ways it’s going to allow us to meet our patient needs and expand our reach and expand our mission, not just to South Padre but to the turtle community and around the valley as well as across the U.S. and the world as a whole,” Bonka said.
For information about Sea Turtle inc, visit it’s website at seaturtleinc.org
Sea Turtle Inc. Donation link
