New Member: Marine Conservation Center Joins Species360

December 16, 2022
Mary Ellen Amodeo
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Loggerhead Marinelife Center rescues, rehabilitates and releases sick and injured sea turtles found along one of the world’s most densely nested beaches. (Source: Loggerhead Marinelife Center)

Species360 is pleased to welcome non-profit Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) as a new institutional member. The sea turtle research, rehabilitation and conservation center is located on one of the most densely nested sea turtle beaches in the world, the 9.5 miles of shore in Juno Beach, Jupiter and Tequesta in the state of Florida in the southeastern United States.

Loggerhead Marinelife Center staff provide care and medical treatment for sick and injured green, hawksbill, Kemp’s ridley, leatherback, and loggerhead sea turtles. Its advanced hospital, founded by The Gordon & Patricia Gray Family, is one of the leading facilities in the region and features a surgical suite, advanced x-ray room, blood work lab, endoscope, and ultrasound – allowing numerous sea turtles to be examined and treated at the center.

All of the sea turtle patients at the center are actively receiving treatment with the goal of releasing each rehabilitated sea turtle back into the ocean as quickly as possible. Many are tracked after release, providing valuable insight to their range, behavior, and preferred habitats. Those deemed unqualified for release are sent to a different facility, allowing the center to focus its staff and resources on rescue and rehabilitation.

Sea turtle patients at Loggerhead Marinelife Center (United States) receive treatment with the goal of releasing each rehabilitated sea turtle back into the ocean as quickly as possible. (Source: Loggerhead Marinelife Center)

In addition to its work with sea turtles, the Loggerhead Marinelife Center is a hub for educating local residents, students, visiting tourists, and the broader conservation community on the region’s rich ecosystem. In all, over 250,000 people visit the Center each year. The center provides a wide range of experiences to meet individual interests, such as early access tours, guided evening tours, public and private tours as well as experiences such as its Jr. Veterinarian Lab, Hammock Hike, Hatchling Tales Story Time, and American Sign Language (ASL) days.

As a member of Species360, Loggerhead Marinelife Center plans to use the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS) to help manage husbandry, medical treatment and enclosures for its collection of 350 animals representing 31 different species. ZIMS is used by more than 1,200 aquarium, zoo, and conservation centers to record and share information on the animals and enclosures in their care.

Dr. Heather W. Barron, DVM, Chief Science Officer and Veterinarian, Loggerhead Marinelife Center, has used ZIMS at other facilities in the past. She said, “LMC’s previous system was homegrown and no longer supported. We required a long-term solution that would fulfill higher data standards, allow us to export and evaluate information, and ensure that our animal and enclosure data is secure and accessible in the future.”