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Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Center

The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center is an American nonprofit environmental organization in Surf City, North Carolina, devoted to the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of sick and injured sea turtles. It began from the Topsail Turtle Project, a volunteer initiative that works to preserve and protect sea turtle nests, nesting females, and hatchlings along Topsail Island's coastline.

Karen Beasley, a local woman who started the Turtle Project in her teens, died in 1991. She asked her mother to use her life insurance proceeds to start a rehabilitation center for injured sea turtles. It opened in 1997 and moved to a newer and larger site in 2013. It is the only sea turtle rehabilitation center in the state.

The center works to conserve and protect all species of marine turtles, both in the water and on the beach. IT rescues, treats, and releases around 100 sea turtles each year, for a total of over 2,000 total turtles. They have also kept over 2,500 sea turtle nests safe so that young can safely hatch. The hospital provides year-round care for injured or stranded sea turtles, using advanced diagnostics and treatments such as medical-grade honey, physical therapy, and a therapy pool to aid recovery. Turtles receive environmental enrichment and naturalistic feeding to build strength and prepare for release. Research on the treatment of sick and injured sea turtles at the center has been published in academic journals. Some turtles are permanent residents at the center due to medical issues that prevent them from surviving in the wild. Provided by Wikipedia