Latest news with #GumboLimbo
CBS News
19-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Turtle rehab program shut down at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton
Dozens of rescued sea turtles in need of new home after nonprofit pulls out Dozens of rescued sea turtles in need of new home after nonprofit pulls out Dozens of rescued sea turtles in need of new home after nonprofit pulls out There's change ahead for the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton. The 20 acre oceanside fixture which offers visitors a raised boardwalk, tower, aquariums and the Florida Atlantic University Marine Research Center will no longer have a turtle rehabilitation facility. The nonprofit The Coastal Stewards, which has operated the turtle rehabilitation program for decades, announced it was shut down last Friday because of financial trouble. The gift shop was also closed. The move does not affect any other part of Gumbo Limbo, manager Leanne Welch said. The nature center received more than 200,000 visitors a year, most from South Florida. There are 13 injured turtles being treated at the rehabilitation facility and Welch said treatment will continue. There is no timeline when the injured turtles may be moved. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will decide where they are sent. Some may be transferred to Zoo Miami. The manager of Zoo Miami's turtle program said they have two tanks currently occupied but they have worked with Gumbo Limbo before. Other possible locations for transfer are in Juno beach and Marathon.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Sea Turtle Rehab Center in Boca Raton is closing due to financial shortfall
After Blossom got sick and injured, she was given surgery and proper nutrition to heal. Eugene was 'cold-stunned' and covered in barnacles. Now, the juvenile sea turtles are improving — Blossom is on the brink of re-release, which she clearly is antsy for as she slaps her fins against the sides of her holding tank on a recent afternoon. And Eugene is 'Eating well!!!' according to notes about his recovery. They both received care at the Turtle Rehab Center within the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton. But the center closed for good on Friday and will not be taking in new turtles. The nonprofit conservation organization The Coastal Stewards, which is behind the center, cited 'ongoing financial challenges.' 'Like many environmental nonprofits, The Coastal Stewards has faced increasing difficulty securing consistent and sustainable funding,' Shivani Gupta, a Board of Trustee Member for The Coastal Stewards, said in a statement. 'This difficult decision allows us to reallocate resources and focus on our long-standing commitment to marine conservation education and empowering the next generation of ocean advocates.' The Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, which is run by the city of Boca Raton, will stay open and continue its other conservation programs, such such as sea turtle nest protection and counting. Gumbo Limbo's three resident sea turtles — Lefty, Morgan and Lady McNubbins — will remain there for the duration of their lives. The Coastal Stewards board of trustees chair Ata Sarajedini said the organization had a shortfall in projected donations and did not see that changing. 'As the Coastal Stewards organization, we are still very much interested in conservation — beach conservation, marine life conservation, educating the future leaders in the area of environmental conservation,' Sarajedini said. 'So education and science education is still part of our mission.' Running the rehab center was an expensive aspect of The Coastal Steward's operations, so ceasing it may lead to the organization allocating more funds to educational goals. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will decide where to transfer the 13 sea turtles — potential new locations include Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach and Zoo Miami. Until then, they will remain at Gumbo Limbo and receive veterinary care. Most of the patients were harmed due to interaction with the human world, be it getting tangled in netting or fishing line, swallowing a fish hook or getting struck by a boat, said Gumbo Limbo Nature Center Manager Leann Welch. Some of the turtles also have a virus called Fibropapilloma, which can lead to tumors. The gift store operated by The Coastal Stewards inside the Nature Center has also closed. In a statement issued in response to the closure, Boca Raton city officials wrote that they 'remain open to exploring partnerships with other qualified nonprofit organizations that may be interested in continuing sea turtle rehabilitation on-site and will determine the best use of the gift shop space.'
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Sea turtle rehab center closes at Gumbo Limbo
BOCA RATON — The Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center has been closed, the nonprofit operating the turtle hospital announced Friday. The Coastal Stewards said in a news release it was closing the center for financial reasons. 'Like many environmental nonprofits, The Coastal Stewards has faced increasing difficulty securing consistent and sustainable funding,' said Shivani Gupta, Board of Trustee member at The Coastal Stewards, in a prepared statement. 'This difficult decision allows us to reallocate resources and focus on our long-standing commitment to marine conservation education and empowering the next generation of ocean advocates.' The gift shop at the center also has been closed, Coastal Stewards said. The 13 sea turtle patients currently being treated at Gumbo Limbo are receiving veterinary care and will be transferred to other licensed sea turtle rehabilitation facilities when they become available, the nonprofit said, adding that it is working with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission during this process. The three resident sea turtles in tanks at the Gumbo Limbo center remain on view for the public, Coastal Stewards said. The center is operated by the city of Boca Raton. In a statement on its website announcing the closure of the rehab facility, the city said the center "remains fully open and active. The Center will continue its conservation and education efforts, including its sea turtle nesting and hatchling programs, youth camps, community education and other popular visitor attractions." The city said it is "open to exploring partnerships with other qualified nonprofit organizations that may be interested in continuing sea turtle rehabilitation on-site and will determine the best use of the gift shop space." This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Sea turtle rehab center at Boca's Gumbo Limbo closes
