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College of Veterinary Medicine

Turtle Rescue Team

As a volunteer veterinary student organization, we rescue and rehabilitate turtles in the Triangle area. Through educational outreach programs, we strive to show the importance of conserving and protecting our native wildlife and ecosystem.

The NC State Turtle Rescue Team is a volunteer organization run by veterinary students at North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. We provide medical, surgical and husbandry services free of charge in the hope of releasing rehabilitated turtles back into the wild. Currently, Turtle Rescue Team sees and treats over 900 wild turtles, reptiles and amphibians each year. With such a high caseload, veterinary students involved with Turtle Rescue Team have the opportunity to not only learn, develop, and refine their medical skills on “exotic” species, but they also have the chance to contribute to protecting North Carolina’s native wildlife.

Additionally, Turtle Rescue Team is involved with various public outreach programs including Reptile and Amphibian Day at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science, Tails and Scales at the North Carolina Aquarium, and Turtlefest at Bass Lake Park in Holly Springs.

Please note that because of state laws and our permits, it is illegal for us to treat or accept pet turtles.

Get Help for an Injured Animal

We have a volunteer vet student on call from 8am-6pm daily. If you find a sick or injured reptile or amphibian, call us at 919-397-9675 to schedule a drop off appointment. Please do not come to the lab without an appointment, as the availability of our on-call students varies and we do not always have someone on site from 8am-6pm.

Please note that because of state laws and our permits, it is illegal for us to treat or accept pets.

For non-urgent questions or inquiries, email us at turtle-rescue-team@ncsu.edu
Address: 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh NC 27607

Donate

Donate to the NC State Turtle Rescue Team!

GIVE TO THE TURTLE RESCUE TEAM

News

Volunteers Lead Renovation of Turtle Rescue Team Headquarters

Today, the Turtle Rescue Team’s bustling center of reptile and amphibian healing occupies a newly renovated headquarters in the NC State Veterinary Health and Wellness Center, courtesy of generous supporters and volunteers. But it’s been quite a journey to get there. 

LEARN MORE HERE 

Use this form to mail in a donation.  Make your check payable to North Carolina Veterinary Medicine Foundation (NCVMF) in the subject line write “Turtle Rescue Team,” or use our online gift site below.

Mail checks made payable to the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Foundation to:
Turtle Rescue Team
c/o North Carolina Veterinary Medical Foundation
1060 William Moore Drive
Raleigh, NC 27607

Volunteering

With such a high caseload, Turtle Rescue Team is in need of student volunteers to help with daily husbandry and treatment of inpatient turtles, snakes, lizards, and amphibians. This is especially true during the busy summer months, from May through September.

Daily responsibilities of treatment volunteers include but are not limited to:

  • Subcutaneous and intramuscular injections
  • Wound care and bandage changes
  • Cleaning enclosures, general husbandry, and feeding of patients
  • General cleaning and upkeep of the Turtle Rescue Team lab

Volunteering is an opportunity for pre-veterinary students to get hands-on experience in rehabilitating sick and injured wildlife. Veterinary experience is not required to volunteer, as training and responsibility is individualized to the comfort level of the student. Interested students should contact turtle-rescue-team@ncsu.edu to get more information.

Summer Internship

Turtle Rescue Team is offering a Summer Undergraduate Internship for 2025! This program is designed for motivated pre-veterinary students with an interest in learning about reptile and wildlife medicine – no prior experience is needed. Scheduling is flexible, and internships will last at minimum 3 weeks and up to 12 weeks.

Interns will:

  • Perform daily husbandry and medication administration for inpatients, including intramuscular injections, subcutaneous fluids, eye drops, and more.
  • Participate in case management:
    • Triage, physical exams, diagnostic interpretation, medication selection, wound care, and quality of life assessments.
  • Assist with procedures, such as shell repair, aural abscess removal, and other surgeries.
    • Opportunities to monitor anesthesia and scrub into sterile surgical procedures as they arise!
  • Perform necropsies and egg retrieval on deceased patients.
  • Potential opportunities to get involved in community outreach, participate in research projects, and learn how to use integrative modalities, such as acupuncture and laser therapy.

To apply:

Please use this form to provide a resume or CV, statement of intent, and two professional references. Priority deadline for consideration is March 14th, 2025, after which brief interviews will be conducted. Applications submitted after this deadline may be considered on a rolling basis. Please reach out to turtle-rescue-team@ncsu.edu with any questions.