05/15/2026
Weāve been getting multiple calls per day, four just yesterday, mostly from around Alabama. We are NOT wildlife rehabilitators or veterinarians. We work exclusively with pet turtles and tortoises. Although we see heartbreaking photos every day, we are unable to help wild turtles, both for legal and financial reasons. Even if we wanted to help, the veterinary bills for one injured wild turtle can easily exceed what we earn in donations on a monthly basis.
After speaking with leaders at our state DNR law enforcement division, itās clear that rehabilitating wildlife without a license is illegal. Thereās currently no accessible path to become a licensed rehabber in our state, though many people are working to change that so it matches surrounding states.
If you find an injured turtle (hit by a car or otherwise hurt), please call your state wildlife agency or the DNR for any recommendations they may have. I know the usual advice is often āleave it where you found it,ā but I canāt risk my freedom or the work Iāve do here teaching about captive turtles and protecting wild populations by breaking the law, or going into severe debt ourselves. Hopefully the many calls about injured wildlife will help push for change in our stateās rehab laws.
If a turtle is simply stuck in your fence, please free it, fences are confusing to turtles and they usually know where theyāre going even if you donāt see water nearby. And please never take wild turtles, especially box turtles, as pets. Itās illegal and one of the main causes of their population decline. I want my grandkids to be able to enjoy these animals in the wild the same way I did. And if you are inclined to help a wild turtle, because your heart canāt see it suffering, I fully understand and sympathize with you, just please donāt prolong suffering. Some veterinarians may even euthanize them for you to prevent suffering, so call around and see if itās something then may offer.
If you have read this whole thing, thank you, I know I will inevitably get a lot of hate, and pushback and how I should do āthisā or āthatā but I am a real person doing my best, while also raising a family that I need to be physically, mentally, and emotionally there for, and refuse to stretch myself so thin that I canāt do that. Thank you to those who have supported us all these years, and especially thank you to those who support us through your monthly donations/memberships. Without yāall, the thousands of turtles and tortoises we have been able to either save, provide homes for, or help in various other ways, would not have been possible. Truly, thank you.
