VIERA, Fla. (AP) - Brevard Zoo plans to open a hospital to treat injured or sick sea turtles.
Florida Today reports the Sea Turtle Hospital is expected to open in October, thanks in part to a $39,800 grant awarded from revenues generated by the Florida sea turtle specialty license plate.
The newspaper reports the hospital will be next to a state-of-the art veterinary facility opened last year at Brevard Zoo. It would primarily treat turtles stranded because of fibropapilloma, which is a deadly viral disease.
The Sea Turtle Conservancy, a nonprofit that administers the state's sea turtle license plate grants, noted in a summary that the hospital would be operated by current zoo personnel and a full-time husbandry coordinator. This will be funded by the Sea Turtle Preservation Society in Indialantic.
