Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Ebenhack.
Hi Amanda, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I have been interested in reptiles as long as I can remember. As a child I would try to catch lizards and loved turtles.
When I moved to Florida I saw turtle heads poking out of the water when we were fishing. I was hooked ( no pun intended) we stopped fishing because I didn’t want to catch one and hurt them. A
A few weeks later it was my birthday and I was still thinking about the turtles. I had seen. I ended up getting a turtle for my birthday. That was all she wrote, I found my calling. I started to volunteer in a reptile clinic in west Palm beach, with wildlife centers and started to establish relationships with vets. As my experience grew so did my patients. I got my wildlife rehabbers permit in in 2005. from Florida Fish and wildlife. I spent several years writing a health care book on turtles and tortoises.
I spend my days rehabilitating Florida’s native turtles and tortoises with the end goal of releasing them back to the wild where they belong! In addition I rehome many unwanted exotic turtles and tortoises to keep them from being released into the wild and potentially hurting our beloved Florida gopher tortoises.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Obstacles include getting people to secure injured chelonians for rehabilitation. Many times these are tortoises their own dogs have caused grave bodily injury to. also many people think they can rehabilitate injured chelonians themselves. This is a bad idea as they need pain management, antibiotics and many times diagnostics such as radiographs.
Another challenge is acquiring enough donations from the public to continue offering the best care possible. we are soley reliant on public donations to run our rescue.
We’ve been impressed with 501 c3 non profit, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a non profit 501c3 charitable corporation located in sunny Florida. We are dedicated to caring for sick, orphaned and injured Native Florida Turtles and tortoises. Our goal is the safe release of rehabilitated chelonians back into their natural environment. We operate on 6 beautiful wooded acres. Central Florida Wildlife Center has a huge tortoise and turtle rehabilitation area dedicated to abused, neglected, an abandoned turtles and tortoises. Our focus is primarily on the threatened Florida Gopher tortoise and other native chelonians. We offer them a natural, safe place to heal. Have a look in the galleries for current rehabs and a peek at our lovely natural enclosures
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Most of my luck comes from getting injured turtles and tortoises in time to help them.
Pricing:
- donations
Contact Info:
- Website: https://turtlerescueusa.com
