The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife on Sanibel Island survived the one-two punch of Hurricane Ian’s 145-mph winds followed by its 15-foot storm surge, but not without major damage that the nonprofit animal hospital is still repairing.
Outside cages were shredded. Doors were blown in. The sea turtle rehabilitation facility was destroyed.
Still, the clinic made it through Ian.
“We’re lucky that our hospital is built to withstand Category 5 hurricanes, which is great, it did,” said Robin Bast, a veterinarian at the wildlife hospital. “It's just the water and the storm surge that you can't really account for. Even with the storm doors that we put up, the water was so strong that it pulled one of the storm doors off.”
Before Ian, the wildlife clinic treated nearly 100 sea turtles every year. Being the only licensed sea turtle rehabilitation center on Florida’s Gulf Coast between Sarasota and the Florida Keys, the loss of the treatment facility has been devastating.
Construction on a new, $2.5 million sea turtle treatment complex is set to begin soon and should be done by the end of the year.
The complex will have four oval tanks with life support systems designed for sea turtles. One of the tanks will be only for hatchlings and their unique needs during early development before being released in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Harkey Sea Turtle Complex is named in honor of conservationists and long-time financial supporters Bill and Laurie Harkey. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation also contributed $1.2 million to the sea turtle complex.
“We are deeply committed to the rehabilitation and protection of sea turtles, and this new sea turtle complex is vital for our ongoing efforts,” said Alison Charney Hussey, director of the wildlife center. “This facility will allow us to provide the highest level of care to support their recovery and conservation.”
Hurricane Ian made landfall on a chain of barrier islands visible to the west of Sanibel Island on September 28, 2022. The Category 4 cyclone’s $110 billion trail of destruction started with the wildlife clinic, among many other things in the region, and ended in Cape Canaveral when Ian moved into the Atlantic Ocean.
Ian is now the costliest hurricane in Florida history, according to NOAA, surpassed overall only by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
“Rebuilding CROW's sea turtle complex is not just about restoring a facility – it's about providing a safe haven for sea turtles in need of care and rehabilitation,” said Jessica Comolli, the clinic’s research and medical director. “With this new complex, we will be able to offer a space that fosters healing and gives sea turtles the best chance for a successful return to the wild.
“It's a critical step in our ongoing commitment to sea turtle conservation and the health of our coastal ecosystem.”
- Information from a previous story by Alexandra McNamee, a former WGCU intern, contributed to this story.
Environmental reporting for WGCU is funded in part by VoLo Foundation, a non-profit with a mission to accelerate change and global impact by supporting science-based climate solutions, enhancing education, and improving health.
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