MELBOURNE, Fla. -- The Brevard Zoo treated a record number of green sea turtles for illnesses over the weekend.
- Brevard Zoo treats record number of sea turtles over the weekend
- 13 green sea turtles were brought to the healing center
- Some were suffering from inflammation and sepsis
Thirteen turtles arrived at the zoo covered with algae and barnacles that prevented them from being able to swim. Some of the sea turtles were suffering from inflammation and sepsis.
Zoo workers treated the turtles with antibiotics, fluids, and vitamins.
The zoo's healing center usually only holds 12 turtles at a time, but workers rearranged the space so it could hold 24 turtles, a record for the facility.
"We're working as hard as we can to get these guys back on their flippers and out in the ocean," the zoo's sea turtle program manager Shannon Green said in a statement. "Situations like this underscore the importance of sea turtle rehabilitation in our state and we hope to expand our facility in the near future."
Twelve sea turles were transferred to the Turtle Hospital in Marathon on Monday.
If you find a sea turtle in distress, call Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 1-888-404-3922 or the Sea Turtle Preservation Society at 321-676-1701.