Sea Turtle Hospital open at Zoo Miami

Zoo Miami has opened and is operating the new Sea Turtle Hospital. Working closely with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and with funding provided by the Zoo Miami Foundation, Zoo Miami has been able to construct a facility that consists of five saltwater enclosures which will serve as “recovery beds” for up to 16 sea turtles that are brought to the facility for treatment.

In preparation for the new facility, teams have traveled to several of the centers to work with some of the world’s most renowned sea turtle experts and receive invaluable hands-on experience with not only a wide variety of treatments, but also with releases back to the wild. Zoo Miami’s new Sea Turtle Hospital will play an invaluable role in providing world-class veterinary care to sea turtles affected by these threats with the primary goal being that it leads to their rehabilitation and release back to the wild.

All five species of sea turtles that are found in Florida waters are classified as threatened or endangered. Their greatest threats are pollution such as plastics and balloons that the turtles ingest which leads to digestive blockages and starvation, improperly discarded fishing nets and lines that they get tangled up in, boat strikes, cold stress, threats to their nesting beaches.

To learn more about sea turtles in our community, please visit the Sea Turtle Conservation Program online. Miami-Dade Parks' Sea Turtle Conservation Program works to further education and conservation of all species of sea turtles that call Miami-Dade beaches home.