MELBOURNE, Fla. – Last week, rough waves and heavy winds pushed dense sargassum seaweed onto Florida beaches, trapping hundreds of sea turtle hatchlings.
[WATCH: Heavy Winds and rough seas push vulnerable sea turtles ashore]
Volunteers from the Sea Turtle Preservation Society worked tirelessly, sifting through piles of seaweed up to three feet deep to rescue the tiny turtles.
Now, the focus turns to the critical rehabilitation work underway at the Brevard Zoo Sea Turtle Healing Center.
Shannon Gann, Sea Turtle Programs Manager at the Zoo, described the intensive care these tiny turtles receive after being rescued.
“Some of the animals in this tank are ill enough or have some kind of injury or they are not feeling well enough. So we’ve actually started giving them antibiotics, pain control, and fluid therapy,” Gann explained.
The hatchlings often arrive with injuries to their eyes or abrasions caused by tumbling in the sand and sargassum or from predators.
Each turtle is carefully identified with color-coded dots or letters that indicate their treatment plan.
“Every single turtle gets a hands-on veterinary exam, and then they get deemed whether or not they need treatment,” Gann said.
The rehabilitation center, which opened 10 years ago, treats about 200 turtles at a time during these storm-driven influxes. The turtles are housed in saltwater tanks with carefully controlled temperatures, mimicking their natural environment.
Volunteers play a vital role in feeding and caring for the turtles, offering them fish, clams, shrimp, and even romaine lettuce to ensure proper nutrition.
Gann emphasized the importance of the sargassum seaweed as a natural nursery for hatchlings in the wild. “Seaweed is actually a fantastic opportunity for these guys to have a nice safe place to hide and grow into bigger animals so that they are capable of not being preyed upon by smaller fishes,” she said.
However, storms disrupt this habitat, pushing the sargassum and the turtles onto the shore, where many would not survive without intervention.
The rescued turtles typically stay at the center for about a week, receiving treatment and rest until conditions offshore improve and the sargassum returns. Then, they are transported by boat to safer waters off the coast.
“We try to get them back out there as soon as possible because this really disrupts their ability to be the most fit member of their species,” Gann noted.
The Brevard Zoo is one of 17 facilities in Florida licensed to care for sick and injured sea turtles, and one of only seven equipped to treat those affected by fibropapillomatosis, a tumor-causing virus common in green turtles.
The center operates largely on the zoo’s main budget, supplemented by grants and donations, with volunteers providing essential support.
Gann, who has worked with sea turtles for over 25 years, described the work as her life’s passion. “It’s a blessing to be able to work with these animals on the medical side and to be here in Brevard County where all these animals are,” she said.
The recent storms have brought an unusually high number of hatchlings to the center, but Gann hopes that with continued care and community support, these vulnerable creatures will have a fighting chance to grow, thrive, and one day return to the beaches to continue the cycle of life.