Kelly Thorvalson
OCCUPATION: Manager of the Sea Turtle Rescue Program at the South Carolina Aquarium
HOME: Charleston
FAVORITE DRY PASTIME: Riding motorcycles
OTHER ANIMALS IN HER LIFE: A Weimaraner named Zoe, a bunny named Cinnamon and five chickens, Stripes, Sugar, Nugget, Stew and Biscuit
Kelly Thorvalson fell in love with sea turtles in 2002. That was the year Edisto Mama, a 270-pound female loggerhead, was brought to the South Carolina Aquarium to be treated for a buoyancy disorder that left her floating at the surface and unable to dive for food.
Touched by how helpless the sea turtle had become, the young marine biologist assisted a team of renowned turtle experts in nursing the injured reptile back to health. “I learned a great deal from them and from her,” she says. “I knew I would always work with sea turtles from that point on.”
And she has. Thorvalson, who is originally from Georgetown, graduated from the College of Charleston, worked her way up at the aquarium, and now manages the Sea Turtle Rescue Program, which to date has rehabilitated and released 77 animals. In addition to providing first-rate care for her endangered patients, she regularly updates a blog about the hospital and educates visitors on the need to protect sea turtles.
“They’re threatened and endangered primarily because of humans,” she says. “We need to do what we can to help them.”
Read more about the animals being cared for at the Sea Turtle Care Center on the South Carolina Aquarium blog.