The world according to me....

Each spring and fall, several of the patients of the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center on Topsail Island are given a final and thorough assessment in anticipation of release back into the ocean. This spring is no exception: last week we all converged in Topsail to help get ready for the release planned for early June. Wildlife veterinarians from North Carolina State University regularly make this trip to help with the assessments. In this case, Dr. Pam Govett (in red) is going over a small loggerhead that was admitted less than a year ago with cracks in its carapace. To her right, Wendy Cluse (in white) is waiting for the chance to measure and tag this turtle prior to release. As is often the case, this is an example of the intersection of various aspects of sea turtle conservation: rehabilitation, wildlife medicine and research, education (many students and interns help with the turtles in the rehabilitation center), public awareness (hundreds of tourists visit the rehabilitation center each summer, and hundreds more watch the releases), and more.