- April 19, 2024
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Sylvia, a sea turtle who spent six months rehabbing in Lori Ottlein’s shower stall, is just one of more than 200 turtles and tortoises Ottlein has rehabilitated over the past 10 years.
Ottlein was recently honored for her rehabilitation work, with the presentation of the 2011 National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution Conservation Award.
“I won this award, and it’s very cool but it’s kind of embarrassing,” said the modest Ottlein. “I just get the turtles and fix them and watch them scoot off.”
The turtles Ottlein cares for have been previously hit by cars or injured in some other way. She rescues the turtles, cleans their wounds, administers antibiotics and/or fluids, and repairs the shells with epoxy.
Once they are recovered, Ottlein releases gopher tortoises to the locations where they were found. Water turtles are placed in a kiddy pool to be sure they can dive and swim before they are released into a fresh-water pond.
“I know what I do is cool, but it’s really cool for the turtles,” Ottlein said. “I guess to the turtles I save, it means a lot.”
Ottlein, a volunteer with the Flagler Turtle Patrol, is also often called upon to collect eggs that have been mistakenly dug up in a garden or construction site. She takes the eggs home to safely hatch them and then returns them to the wild.
But Ottlein doesn’t just rehab turtles; she also has them as pets. Her five tortoises and 20 water turtles keep her backyard full when she isn’t rehabbing others.
Even though what Ottlein does is strictly for the turtles, it also gives her a great sense of satisfaction.
“It’s just something that makes you feel good, when you get to release something,” Ottlein said. “It makes you feel good that you get to save something. That’s the best part — just watching them take off.”
