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een seen over 800,000 times, shared over 43,000
times, and the rescue had gained over 5,000 new
followers. Christy and Luke suddenly went from
taking in 30-40 turtles per year to over 400 per year
and their numbers have ranged between 450 and 600
turtles each year since. Of the turtles that make their
way to the rescue, the average percentage of turtles
saved is over 85%.
The Central MS Turtle Rescue continues to grow
and expand their services. Not only do they take in
and help native turtles, but they also take in unwanted
non-native/exotic pet turtles from all over the country,
and by phone and email they assist people with their
pet turtles in countries such as India, the UK, and
Pakistan.
The goal of the Central MS Turtle Rescue is
always to release any wild, native turtle back to the
wild once it has been rehabbed, but some turtles
cannot be released for various reasons. For these
turtles, the Milbournes operate an adoption program
to place non-releasable turtles in well-qualified
permanent homes or educational institutions. They
also offer a foster program where people can help the
rescue by housing turtles temporarily until they can
be released, or until the non-releasable turtles find
forever homes.
In 2018, they began offering free educational
presentations and informational exhibits, which
continue to this day at schools and community events
around the state. And in 2022, they began teaching
a Turtle Shell Repair Lab to veterinary students. In
partnership with the NationalVeterinary Association,
they are bringing this free program to universities
across the southeast in an effort to give future
veterinarians hands-on training and instruction on
the proper way to repair turtle shells.
2023 is off to another busy start, and Christy and
Luke are gearing up for another crazy turtle season.
Several projects are planned to make upgrades and
build new enclosures around the facility that they
operate on their property in Florence. They’re always
looking for volunteers, fosters, and adopters, as well
as donations.
The Central MS Turtle Rescue is completely
donation funded and volunteer staffed. They receive
no money from the state or federal government, and
no one involved with the rescue receives any kind of
salary or compensation. It is truly a labor of love, but
unfortunately one that doesn’t come cheap or easy.
The rescue has only two full-time volunteers
(Christy and Luke), a few friends that come by once
a week to help, and much of the current facility was
built with their own hands and their own funds.
Vet bills, food, medication, building materials, and
husbandry supplies are all very expensive, and it can
be very difficult to keep up with the amount of work
that is necessary to keep the rescue running (all while
juggling jobs as well!).
Turtles may seem insignificant to some, but the
Central MS Turtle Rescue has made it their mission
to be their champions, and to show people just how
important and special these animals are. They play a
huge role in our ecosystem, they feel pain just like any
other animal, and they tend to be overlooked or just
downright disliked more than any other species of
wildlife. Many people dismiss them because they
have scales instead of fur, some think of them as
nuisance animals when it’s actually other animals
to blame, and some think turtles don’t need help
because they appear to be plentiful, when in reality
their numbers are dwindling.
Mississippi is prime habitat for turtles and other
reptiles due to our warm, humid climate, and our
short, mild winters, but that doesn’t mean they don’t
face insurmountable challenges here in our state.
Turtle populations have been steadily on the decline
thanks to land developments that wipe out their
habitats, the ever-increasing number of vehicles that
drive through their homes, domesticated carnivores
that think turtles are fun chew toys, our misconceptions
of them as pests, and our human need to destroy
that which we fear or dislike.
The Central MS Turtle Rescue hopes to change
public perceptions about turtles to lessen the fears
and misconceptions surrounding them. And they
ultimately hope to undo the damage we inflict upon
them through rescue and rehabilitation to help
ensure that these magnificent animals are still here
and plentiful for
our children and
grandchildren to
enjoy with their
children and grandchildren—
and they’ll do it one shell
at a time.
Hometown RANKIN • 75