Grant: 14-037C
Project Title: Brevard Zoo Sea Turtle Hospital
Project Manager: Trevor Zachariah
Organization: East Coast Zoological Society of Florida (Brevard Zoo) (Non-Profit Organization)
Grant Amount: $13,150.00
Completion Date: 2015-08-26
Summary: This project will fund the purchase of additional equipment and supplies to aid in the care of sea turtles at the Brevard Zoo’s new Sea Turtle Hospital. The Sea Turtle Hospital includes two separate holding facilities that will house FP turtles and non-FP turtles. The facility has separate closed loop filtration systems and will make its own saltwater to supply each tank. Each area is covered separately by a shade structure. The Sea Turtle Hospital is staffed by zoo personnel and a full-time turtle husbandry coordinator to assist with the sea turtles. There are also long-term plans to partner with Eastern Florida State College to involve their vet tech students in the sea turtle rehab process.
Results: Brevard Zoo staff purchased the fmal item in the initial grant application, the camera. The receipt
for this purchase is enclosed as well as a photograph of the camera. Also enclosed is a complete
list of all ofthe equipment purchased through the grant and for what purposes they are being
used.
As a direct result of the equipment purchased, Brevard Zoo staff has been able to collect vital
data from the sea turtles treated in our facility. For example, the chemistry analyzer helps assess
the health of the turtles as they go through rehabilitation. By determining the condition of each
and every sea turtle when it arrives at the facility, the staff is able to utilize that information as a
baseline and thereby measure the each turtle's improvement throughout their treatment. A few
samples of the data are enclosed.
In addition, the salinity refractometer and pH temperature meter have been crucial in improving
the care provided to each patient that arrives at the facility. The water quality is measured on a
daily basis in each of the tanks and maintaining these measurements allows the staff to not only
maintain consistency, but to establish optimal water conditions for the sea turtles in each of the
tanks. The measurements for the first three months of the year are enclosed.
As a result ofthe equipment obtained through this grant, Sea Turtle Healing Center staff has
made great strides in the care they are able to provide to the sea turtles on a daily basis and we
look forward to all that we can accomplish with the additional supplies that will be obtained
through the 2015-2016 grant.