Georgia Sea Turtle Center celebrates 10th birthday on coast
JEKYLL ISLAND, Ga. (AP) - Georgia's hospital for sick and injured sea turtles is celebrating its 10th birthday.
The Georgia Sea Turtle Center held a public celebration Saturday on Jekyll Island, where the center began treating its amphibious patients in June 2007.
Dr. Terry Norton is the Sea Turtle Center's director and head veterinarian. He says the center is "still driving great progress in sea turtle conservation" a decade after its founding.
The Jekyll Island Authority established the Georgia Sea Turtle Center to focus both on veterinary care for sea turtles and other wildlife as well as public education. Over the past decade, the center has treated more than 3,000 patients - including at least 1,100 turtles and 1,300 diamondback terrapins.
Volunteers have put in more than 47,000 hours at the center.