VIDEO: Brevard Zoo Rescues And Rehabilitates ‘Steve’ The Sea Turtle, Returns To The Ocean

By  //  February 27, 2016

spent three months rehabilitating

After three months of rehabilitation at our Sea Turtle Healing Center, Steve went back to the ocean today. Welcome home, little guy!

Posted by Brevard Zoo on Tuesday, February 23, 2016

ABOVE VIDEO: After three months of rehabilitation at the Sea Turtle Healing Center, ‘Steve’ went back to the ocean earlier this week.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – After three months of rehabilitation at the Sea Turtle Healing Center, ‘Steve’ went back to the ocean earlier this week.

Brevard Zoo, in partnership with the Sea Turtle Preservation Society (STPS), opened its 2,400-square-foot Sea Turtle Healing Center just south of the Zoo’s Animal Care Center in April 2014. The facility includes two separate holding facilities with a total of 12 tanks ranging in size from 6 – 20 feet.

At this time the facility is not open to the public.

The beaches of Brevard County are some of the world’s most important nesting areas for sea turtles and the largest in the US.

Prior to the opening of the Sea Turtle Healing Center, the challenge the STPS faced was the great distance between our local beaches and existing sea turtle rescue facilities, with one as far as 107 miles away.

The facility is just 19 miles away. The shorter drive means less stress for already distressed turtles, and faster treatment.

Another important aspect of the Healing Center is its design to house and treat both fibropapilloma-positive and fibropapilloma-negative turtles.

Florida Aquarium Releases 14 Rescued Sea Turtles At Canaveral National SeashoreRelated Story:
Florida Aquarium Releases 14 Rescued Sea Turtles At Canaveral National Seashore

This viral disease causes tumors to grow inside and on the turtle. The fact that they can accept fibropapilloma-positive turtles is very special considering many facilities cannot accept turtles with this contagious disease because they must remain isolated.

Sea turtles are a defining part of the community, and the Sea Turtle Healing Center is integral part to the rescue of these beloved animals.

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After three months of rehabilitation at our Sea Turtle Healing Center, Steve went back to the ocean earlier this week. (Brevard Zoo image)
After three months of rehabilitation at the Sea Turtle Healing Center, ‘Steve’ went back to the ocean earlier this week. (Brevard Zoo image)