Sea Turtle Health & Rehabilitation

About the author(s)

Dr. Charles Manire, DVM, is the Director of Research and Rehabilitation at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) in Juno Beach Florida where he focuses strictly on sea turtle rescue, rehabilitation, care, and research. Prior to LMC, Dr. Manire helped design, build, and manage the sea turtle rehabilitation hospital at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida where he also worked with dolphins, whales, manatees and fish. Dr. Manire has extensive experience in marine animal medicine and was the staff veterinarian at Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas where he was responsible for the veterinary care of more than 50,000 marine animals. He has authored or co-authored over 70 peer-reviewed articles on various marine species and has made scientific presentations at conferences around the world. He regularly reviews manuscripts for several professional journals and has served on multiple masters’ and doctoral committees for graduate students at the University of Florida, Texas A&M University, and Nova Southeastern University.

Dr. Terry Norton, DVM, DACZM, is the Director, Veterinarian, and Founder of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island. In addition, he has provided veterinary care for White Oak Conservation Center, Riverbanks Zoo, North Carolina State Zoo, and continues to oversee the veterinary aspects of the St. Catherine’s Island Foundation wildlife programs. Dr. Norton has developed and implemented the Georgia Wildlife Health Program, which has evaluated the health of many state and federally listed species.  Currently, he volunteers his services for the Turtle Survival Alliance’s Turtle Survival Center and is the Vice President of the St. Kitts Sea Turtle Monitoring Network. Terry has been an adjunct professor at the University of Georgia, University of Florida, North Carolina State University, and Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Norton has worked around the world on several projects related to wildlife health and conservation. He has published numerous articles for referred journals and authored many book chapters. In 2016, he was honored by the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians with the prestigious Emil Dolensik Award.

Dr. Brian Stacy, DVM, Ph.D., DACVP, serves as the veterinarian for the National Sea Turtle Program under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Protected Resources, in Gainesville, Florida, where he provides veterinary support and training for sea turtle stranding networks within the U.S. and abroad, investigates causes of strandings and mass events, and oversees a variety medical and welfare concerns related to anthropogenic activities, animal health, and disease. This role also included serving as lead veterinarian for sea turtle rescue and response during the massive Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 and the subsequent Natural Resource Damage Assessment. Dr. Stacy is a member of the IUCN Marine Turtle and Crocodile Specialist Groups and holds a courtesy faculty appointment at the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine. He has written a number of peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, and book chapters on sea turtles and other reptiles, diagnostic pathology, and mortality investigation.

Dr. Craig Harms, DVM, Ph.D., DACZM, is a Professor of Aquatic, Wildlife, and Zoo Medicine and Director of Marine Health Programs at the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Center for Marine Sciences and Technology, and adjunct faculty at the Duke University Marine Laboratory. He is a Past President of the American College of Zoological Medicine (ACZM) and of the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine. He has authored or co-authored over 125 peer-reviewed publications and several book chapters on zoological medicine. In 2011, he received the Stange Award for Meritorious Service by the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Harms also provides clinical services to several North Carolina coastal facilities and organizations, including the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, NCSU aquaculture research laboratories, the North Carolina Aquariums, and the sea turtle and marine mammal stranding networks.

Dr. Charles Innis, VMD, DABVP, is the Director of Animal Health at the New England Aquarium in Boston and oversees veterinary care of the Aquarium’s large and diverse collection of invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and marine mammals. In addition, Dr. Innis directs the veterinary management and rehabilitation of free ranging sea turtles that are stranded along the coast of New England, and participates in national and international emergency responses for injured and ill turtles. Dr. Innis holds adjunct teaching positions at Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Connecticut. He is a member of the IUCN Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, the IUCN Marine Turtle Specialist Group, and is Past President of the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians. He has published numerous scientific articles and several textbook chapters on the medical and surgical management of turtles, and has been an invited speaker at national and international veterinary conferences. In 2011, Dr. Innis became one of the first veterinarians in the United States to be recognized as a reptile and amphibian specialist by the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners.