A Visit to the Gumbo Limbo Refuge Center

On Wednesday, we drove across the intercoastal waterway to the barrier islands east of Palm Beach. Gumbo Limbo is a sea life refuge center. They have been very busy the past 2 weeks since the extreme cold snap that Florida experienced. Not only are plants and animals on the mainland affected by extremely low temperatures, sea creatures also are hurt by ocean temps that go below 60F. Large sea turtles float to the top at these temperatures and they need to be rescued or they will die. This center at Gumbo Limbo normally takes care of 2-3 turtles each week but over that past week, they have had to rescue 51 of these creatures. With the cold water, their immune systems are weakened and bacteria and viruses cause unusual growths especially around their eyes. Several operations were done at the center in the past few days on these tumors to save their eyesight.
Sea turtles hatch on the nearby beaches and swim to the sea. They spend the next 15 -20 years across the Atlantic feeding and growing near the shores of Africa, and the Azores. Then the urge hits them and they must return to their natal beach to lay and fertilize eggs for the next generation. The sex of the new baby turtles is determined by the temperature of the sand.
They have 4 large tanks at the center and 2pm is feeding time. Mmmmm! The volunteer feeds shrimp and chum to the turtles, moray eel, two large 20 pound lobsters named "Butter" and "Garlic" as well as bonnet and nurse sharks and dozens of colourful fish. There is also a boardwalk through the mangrove swamp between the intercoastal and the ocean. They have a 40' tower that gives a good view of both sides of the barrier island.