ANDRE

WWW.MARINELIFE.ORG   Go to this web site and visit Andre the Turtle and read about his story. WE adopted this turtle for Smith several months ago and today Andre was released back in to the wild.  
Loggerhead park is our favorite beach in the area.  We discovered it many years ago and would take our children to see the turtles when ever we were in this area of Florida.  The Marine Center used to consist of a trailer and a shack with about 6 "turtle tanks" out back. You could visit the turtles free of charge, (donation requested), roam through the 2 tiny rooms with displays of turtle skeletons and turtle nests, go out the back door to see the sick and recovering turtles in their tanks and then exit through the gift shop. I can't imagine they made much money but it was always a MUST DO when in Florida.  Then about 8 years ago the Marine Life Center closed their doors to the public and started building a new facility just next door. It took a couple of years to finish but it is such a great addition to the area. Still a small operation the new center has a display room and gift shop at the entrance (still only "donations accepted") but outside are about 10 turtle tanks, an education center and most importantly, a TURTLE HOSPITAL. There are always turtles to be seen and if you are lucky enough to be there on a day when the doctors are working on one of the sick or injured turtles you can stand outside the hospital room and watch through the window. It is a very people friendly place and the many volunteers are always ready to answer your questions about each turtle. Each tank contains one turtle and there is a display board that gives you the turtle's name and how he came to be at Loggerhead Marine Center. Most of the turtles are there due to injuries by boats or fishing line. Some are just found floating listlessly and people call the center for "rescuers to come and get the turtle. But the best time to go is during hatching season when the little hatchlings pop out of their nests on the beach. Most of them manage to get back to the ocean on their own but there are always the few who head off into the wrong direction or get into some other sort of trouble.  It is so funny to see the tank with hundreds of little flippers swimming round and round.
Each year I like to adopt a turtle for one of my grand kids. For $30 you can adopt a turtle and the adopter gets a certificate stating that "Such and Such" a turtle is officially yours.
Unfortunately Smith was not able to come up today to see Andre return to the ocean and Ger and I had a previous appointment but according to the news Andre swam off into the Atlantic, hopefully to have better luck this time than his last encounter with mankind.
Be well Andre and live long.