Turtle Rescue League

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Southbridge, MA
Turtle Rescue League

We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and one of New England's largest native turtle rescues
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We offer wild turtle rehabilitation services, educational courses, and non-native pet turtle placement and adoption services. We are open 24/7 to injured turtle emergencies, and Monday-Friday for pet turtle cases.

05/31/2026

Happy National Smile Day! To celebrate, here are some of our favorite snapper smiles🐢💚

05/28/2026

What we imagine baby painted turtles think when we take them out to do do growth checks

05/26/2026

Good afternoon, everyone! You might have noticed that we have been quiet lately. Over the past few weeks, we have been operating a skeleton crew. We have had 1 crew member working each day to monitor calls and treat patients, and reduced volunteer staff in the clinic due to various personal circumstances. Please excuse our silence, and wish our staff well as we recover! We hope to be back to normal next week.

If you want to help with this unexpected setback, two ways that would help us most are a direct donation or signing up to help transport our patients. Sign-up links will be included below. This season, we have had over 40 intakes, and have had trouble securing rides for our patients. Transportation help is invaluable.

Thank you again for your patience these past few weeks. Your support motivates us to keep moving forward!

To donate: https://turtlerescueleague.org/donate/

Turtle Runner Sign ups:
https://turtlerescueleague.org/become-a-turtle-runner/

05/24/2026

Yesterday was World Turtle Day! If you are new here, welcome to our turtle community! We are Turtle Rescue League of Massachusetts, and we are a 501(c)(3) non-profit wild turtle rehabilitation center that treats native species, from snapping turtles to painted turtles and everything in between! To celebrate, we want to share some photos of our amazing past and present patients and how you can help.
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Thanks to our generous volunteers, donors, and Patrons we have already helped over 40 patients so far this year! Nesting season has started at a sprint, and turtles are crossing roads to find the perfect place to lay their eggs. Spring is a beautiful and dangerous season, and sadly, our native turtle species face devastating odds from cars, bicycles, boats, predators... you name it! You can help our turtle friends by keeping an eye on the road when traveling, checking your yard before letting out pets, and covering any dirt and mulch piles with a tarp so moms don't nest in the tempting mounds!

We also ask that you donate to provide medical care to turtles in need. Visit www.turtlerescueleague.org/donate or following the link in our stories. You can also celebrate by wearing your TRL merch proudly, learning more about turtles, and helping our chelonian friends cross the road safely! (Hint: Take them in the direction they are going, even if it is no toward water!) ⁣
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Happy belated World Turtle Day, and thank you for helping us continue our mission to keep turtles a part of the future, not a thing of the past! 🐢 💚

05/23/2026

Rest easy, momma turtle. ⁣
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This sweet girl was the first gravid mom to be admitted to our clinic, and the day she arrived started out with hope and promise. ⁣
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We had just held our ribbon cutting ceremony for Precious' Garden, where we proudly showed the work of dozens of volunteers over the span of a decade and talked about future projects. It was a refreshing moment of connection with members of our turtle community. During the ceremony, someone drove by and angrily shouted at us from their truck about making turtle soup. ⁣
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Then, we received the call about a critically injured turtle left on the side of the road. This mother turtle was nearly 20 years old, and she was killed by a car along her nesting journey. Even though we couldn't save her, we were able to save her eggs. Her hatchlings will return to the wild and carry forward their mother's legacy. ⁣
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Tomorrow is World Turtle Day. Their medical care may be in our hands, but their future is in yours. We need the support of people in every community to "keep turtles a part of the future, not a thing of the past." ⁣
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9 of our 10 native species are experiencing population decline, but we are still full of hope. Please make a donation today to help care for the hundreds of injured and sick turtles that will come through our doors this year. Together, we can make a difference. ⁣
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The link is in our bio, and you can visit www.turtlerescueleague.org/donate to make a contribution or become a patron. ⁣
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Thank you! ⁣
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05/21/2026

UPDATE: Lynn needs a ride!

NORTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS EMERGENCY TRANSPORT NEEDED

Injured turtles in Essex, Wenham, and Lynn need transport to Groton MA. We have been trying to find help for hours, and time is running out! Please message us here on FB if you can help.

05/20/2026

Update: Ride Found

Urgent Transport Help Needed!

A critically injured painted turtle needs transport from our facility in Southbridge MA to Tufts Wildlife in North Grafton MA before 5pm today, May 20th. Please message us here on FB if you are able to help!

Thank you!

05/05/2026

We are incredibly happy to announce that Precious' Garden is up and running! Thanks to a generous grant, multiple marathon build weekends, and the efforts of our amazing volunteers and staff, the box turtles are finally moved into their brand-new home.

This is so important because it allows us to separate new intakes from long-term residents, not only ensuring dedicated space for residents, but also more clinic space for rehabilitation cases. This is a big step that will allow us to improve husbandry and enrichment for the box turtles, and improve workflow in our clinic.

We cannot overstate our gratitude towards our grantor and our volunteer teams. Without this crucial assistance, this project could not have been completed. Only together can we continue our mission of "keeping turtles a part of the future, not a thing of the past."

If you want to help us care for our patients and residents, please consider making a donation on our website, or signing up as a clinic volunteer or turtle runner. Visit www.turtlerescueleague.org to learn more! Thank you!

04/24/2026

Meet intake 2026-016, or as we call him... Spice Weasel! This big guy has not let his injury slow him down at all. He is an amazing example of why we emphasize containing any injured turtles you see. Despite having serious injuries, he immediately came in with what Natasha describes as “adorable” strength! He enjoys removing his “clothing," aka gauze and vet wrap, and escaping his hospital box! Despite his long and hectic journey, he has been fairly calm in the clinic and very curious.

We are keeping a close eye on him due to the extent of his injuries, but we are hopeful for his future. If you wish to help Spice Weasel or any of our other early season starters, please visit www.turtlerescueleague.org/donate to become a Patron, turtle runner, or make a donation! We also ask that you all be proactive with your local turtle communities! Keep watch on the roads and help turtles cross in the direction they are heading, and immediately contain any injuries and transport them to a wildlife rehabilitator.

04/22/2026

Happy Earth Day! The natural history of turtles tells us about their vital roles in supporting biodiversity, clean water, and balanced ecosystems. Many turtles are even indicator and keystone species! Without them, ecosystems can fall out of balance, which means that when we protect them, we are also protecting the Earth. But why does this matter? Because over 60% of the world’s turtle species are at risk of extinction. In Massachusetts, 7 of our 10 native species are listed as protected or endangered.

Here at Turtle Rescue League, we’re on a mission to save every turtle we can. Every day, car strikes, habitat loss, and poaching are hurting turtles. But with your support, we’re making a real difference through wildlife rehabilitation, incubation, education, and conservation.

Join our mission of "keeping turtles a part of the future and not a thing of the past" by becoming a patron, volunteering as a turtle runner or in our clinic, and donating today. We cannot express how crucial your support is, and we hope you spend today enjoying nature and keeping an eye out for the turtles celebrating today! Thank you!

Click here to join the mission: https://turtlerescueleague.org/donate/

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Address

Southbridge, MA
01550

Website

https://turtlerescueleague.org/emergencies/can-no-longer-care-for-pet-turtle/, https://turtlerescueleague.org/donate/, h

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