They float serenely in the water. They are super cute. They are sea turtles and they can be found all around South Padre Island. If you are lucky, you can swim with them in the wild. Yet, when they are unlucky, there is a place that will help them: Sea Turtles Inc.
The Turtle Lady of South Padre
Sea Turtles Inc. originates with Ila Fox Loetscher, the “Turtle Lady of South Padre.” Before campaigning for sea turtles, Loetscher was the first female licensed pilots in Iowa and Illinois. It wasn’t until her 60s that she volunteered to watch the primary nesting grounds of the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle in Rancho Nuevo, Mexico and fell in love with the animals. She began taking in and rehabilitating injured sea turtles in her home on South Padre Island. By 1977, she established Sea Turtles, Inc. with the dual roles of rehabilitation and education.
Wounded and otherwise dependent sea turtles are divided among multiple tanks. Some are preeminent residents. Others are there to heal from wounds inflicted from predation, illness, and human interference. They will be released. The turtles range in size from young adolescents about a foot long, to ancient adults five feet long.
Visiting Sea Turtles Inc.
A small marsh divides the South Padre Birding Center from the protection and rehabilitation program of Sea Turtle Inc. if you can walk the difference, it makes sense to see the birds first, leave your car at the center, and walk to see the turtles. Parking is a mess, likely because the sea turtle sanctuary only asks for a donation rather than an entry fee.
