Loggerhead Sea Turtle on the Move!

Our beautiful Loggerhead Sea Turtle with the missing front flipper came to us in 2006 after being rescued from a tangle of seaweed in Corpus Christi. Now, she is heading back to Texas. Now topping 250 pounds, she has outgrown our tank and needs a bigger home.   The Dallas World Aquarium has accepted her and is ready to place her in their 300,000 gallon tank.  Needless to say, we are thrilled!  Now comes the hard part, the Museum must transport this big girl.  This is a complex process – strict body temperature requirements, state and federal permitting requirements and a very long van ride with our curatorial staff are involved. What’s the cost of a turtle travel? About $1,500. You can help send our big girl safely on her way! Your donation will pay for gas for the van, staff travel expenses and help the Museum continue to showcase these amazing animals, which are a threatened species. We have a new 25-pound sea turtle that can’t wait to get into the tank!

Donate Now to Help Send Our Loggerhead
To Her New Home 

Our loggerhead sea turtle currently in the Chesapeake Bay Aquarium Exhibit came to us from the University of Texas’s Animal Rehabilitation Keep (ARK) in Port Aransas, Texas.  The turtle was rescued on the beach of Corpus Christi, where she was found emaciated in Sargassum seaweed that had washed ashore, in May of 2004 when she was only several days old.  Her left flipper had been wounded most likely by a predator such as a fish, crab or bird.  The staff and volunteers of ARK successfully rescued and rehabilitated her, but due to her age and injuries she would never be released into the wild.  

Here are some fascinating facts about sea turtles:

• Female sea turtles come ashore to lay eggs.  The female may lay hundreds of eggs in a single breeding season, but only 1 of the eggs may survive to adulthood.
• Sea turtles have survived huge environmental events in their life, including changes in climate, sea level and the extinction and evolution of millions of other organisms.
• There are seven species of sea turtles in the world and 5 species can be found in the Bay during the warmer months.
• The biggest threat to sea turtles is loss of nesting habitat, entanglement in fishing gear and pollution.
• All sea turtles are listed as Endangered or Threatened on the Endangered Species Act