The National Rescue Center for Sea Turtles

All information about the National Rescue Center for Sea Turtles The National Rescue Center for Sea Turtles is the only hospital in the country that treats these remarkable marine reptiles in a dedicated manner. The facility has treatment and surgery rooms, as well as acclimation pools for turtles that are hospitalized there. The visitor center allows the general public to see the treatment of the turtles up close and to learn about the injuries with which they arrive at the center. Visitors learn how they themselves can reduce the damage caused, and what needs to be done when they see an injured turtle. In addition, the facility has a breeding nucleus for the green sea turtle, a species at risk of extinction whose past egg-laying in the country has declined to a single-digit number. The turtles in the facility arrived as patients at the rescue center; when it was not possible to return them to the sea, they built a large pool that simulates the sea. Next to it, they established a small and private beach where the hatchlings can lay eggs. The researchers collect the egg-layings and place them on different beaches around the country so that the hatchlings (this is what baby turtles are called) can reach the sea. The center first opened in 1999 at the Mevo'ot Yam school in Michmoret. Over the years, it has treated more than 7,000 sea turtles, and in addition, soft turtles, pond turtles, and even five dolphins. It was moved to its current location, near the mouth of the Alexandr River into the sea, during 2025 after the new building was constructed for it with an investment of about 30 million shekels. The National Rescue Center for Sea Turtles will be officially inaugurated in December 2025, and after that there will be a trial period until February during which visits cannot be scheduled. Then, an appointment system will open gradually in order to enable visits.