Jupiter. The one in Florida! We have been stymied by a number of poor weather days, which haven’t been bad, but have kept us out of the water. It also led to the canceling of the release of a (now) healthy sea turtle we were going to watch. 

Instead we headed to the Loggerhead Marine Aquatic Center. It is a hospital for sea turtles of all kinds. It was an amazing place. There were about 25 turtles currently in residence and at least 10 volunteers on hand to answer questions. And if you know my kids, they have questions! In fact, I have (fairly recently) come to the realization that my kids thrive on personal interaction. They get the most out of an outing if there are people who are willing to engage with them in their learning. That meant today was right up their alley, with plenty of adults excited to share what they knew. For myself, there were signs explaining the circumstances around each of the turtles. This was the kind of place that leads people to become advocates for their cause. 85% of these turtles are released back into the wild. The other 15% is split between turtles who don’t survive their injuries and those who can’t take care of themselves and are sent to local aquariums.

The second stop of the day was to Busch Wildlife Sanctuary. It was cool, too, but nobody around to engage my kiddos. There was an animal show with a snake, alligator, and skunk to pet. Then about an hour to walk the grounds. It was all native Floridian species, including the endgangered Florida panther and American crocodile. There were also bobcats, bears, river otters, deer, and many, many species of birds.