Loggerhead sea turtle Fletcher at NMLC just before his release back to the wild
On Saturday May 23, the National Marine Life Center will once again open its doors to visitors. Admission is free and the Discovery Center has been updated, so even those who’ve visited before will find new exhibits and activities to enjoy.
What does the National Marine Life Center do?
On Cape Cod where marine animal strandings are, unfortunately, an all too common occurrence the National Marine Life Center is working to become a full service hospital for those animals that need more than beach based care.
NMLC also believes in the importance of educating the public about the variety of sea creatures that share Cape Cod’s waters with us. To that end, the Discovery Center and outreach programs bring information in a fun, interactive way.
The Marine Animal Hospital
Some of the marine animals that appear on Cape Cod beaches, especially the seals, are merely resting and warming themselves between feeding bouts in the chilly Atlantic waters. But some are sick or injured and in need of further medical care.
Until recently, those seals, sea turtles, dolphins and whales either had to be treated on the beach and released, or transported off Cape Cod for further care. Today, turtles, sea and freshwater, and terrapins are being rehabilitated at NMLC. And soon the Center will be ready for the marine mammals as well.
In addition to helping the individual marine animals that strand, the National Marine Life Center's scientists will use information gained from those animals to help understand marine species and the health of the ocean they live in.
The Discovery Center and Gift Shop
Learning about marine wildlife is fun at the National Marine Life Center, with interactive games, arts and crafts and special programs all part of the experience. Sometimes animals in rehabilitation may be seen, but this depends on the animals not being stressed by human presence.
The Gift Shop is a great place to find fun, eco-friendly and fair trade items for purchase. Local artisans’ work is also featured. And just knowing that the funds raised go toward the care of Cape Cod’s stranded marine animals makes it worthwhile to spend some time (and money) here.
The video below follows a stranded sea turtle's journey back to the wild. Since that video was released, NMLC has been able to reopen in a limited capacity. And construction is underway on the new facility which will be able to admit sea turtles, seals, dolphins and small whales.
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