You can help protect sea turtles from hatchlings to adulthood. The Aquarium and Sea Turtle Care Center™ offer many tips and opportunities to give back to this incredible species. Learn more below.
1. Clean the Beach
The close of summer also marks the end of sea turtle nesting season. On your last beach trips this summer, be sure to pack up all your toys, fill in any holes and knock down all sand castles. These are all obstacles that can prevent a baby turtle from making its way to the big blue.
2. Turn Off the Lights
If you live or vacation on the beachfront, always turn off your lights at night, as to not disorient sea turtle hatchlings. Newly hatched turtles are equipped with the inborn instinct to follow the brightest direction, which should be the reflection of the moon and stars on the ocean, not our beach houses!
3. Reduce single-use plastic
Single-use plastic travel by wind and water, often making their way into the ocean and are ingested by sea turtles and their prey. To help, you can choose alternatives to single-use plastic, such as reusable bags, bottles and skipping the plastic straw, you can join or organize a litter sweep, and share these solutions with your family and friends!
4. Purchase a Gift from our Amazon Wishlist ($5 – $250)
Purchase a gift from our Amazon Wishlist – from rubbing alcohol to a toolkit – to directly support the work within our Sea Turtle Care Center.
5. Adopt a Loggerhead Sea Turtle ($35 – $250)
You can help keep our animal residents healthy by symbolically adopting a loggerhead sea turtle. Your support helps us provide our animals with expert care, daily food and vitamins, and opportunities for enrichment.
6. Become a Sea Turtle Guardian ($100+)
Connect with the Sea Turtle Care Center on a deeper level by making an annual or recurring contribution that will help save more sea turtles. Join a community of passionate advocates for sea turtle conservation and gain access to exclusive content and special invitations.
7. Purchase a Sea Turtle on our Sea Turtle Donor Wall ($2,500+)
By purchasing a turtle on the Sea Turtle Donor Wall, located within Zucker Family Sea Turtle Recovery, you will become a permanent supporter of the work within our Sea Turtle Care Center, supporting the journey home for sick and injured turtles for years to come.