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In September 2023, our founder, lead rehabber, and Executive Director, Christy Milbourne, was diagnosed with cancer. Unfortunately, this has necessitated the temporary closing of the Central office of CMTR. This means we will not be accepting any new patients at our Central office until Christy has completed her treatments and kicked cancer to the curb. Our Northern office is still open and operational. Additionally, several rescues around the state have graciously offered to help out as much as possible with turtles during this time. Check out our Contact Us page for more information.
We're sorry for this temporary closing. It was not an easy decision. It was, in fact, a heartbreaking one. We will be back in action just as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience during this time. |
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Before you pick up a turtle you think needs help, before you contact us or another rescue ... please read over the information found on our Found A Turtle? page. Not every turtle is truly in need of being rescued. IF you pick up a turtle, please, please, please take note of the location where you found it. This is critical information for us and any other rescue if the turtle is able to be released once rehabilitated.
We have also put together a contact registry for Veterinarians and Wildlife Rescues located in Mississippi.
We have also put together a contact registry for Veterinarians and Wildlife Rescues located in Mississippi.
Please note the following guidelines.
- We cannot drive to pick up turtles (or meet anyone) Monday-Thursday until after 4PM. (We can't take off from our full-time jobs to do turtle things. We wouldn't be able to do turtle things at all if we got fired.)
- We cannot drive to pick up turtles (or meet anyone) on Sundays. We have to have at least one full day at our home/facility to take care of the turtles already in our care, build/install new enclosures, and take care of our regular chores like mowing the lawn and laundry.
- If you have a turtle emergency during our "no go" hours, we will still gladly try to find a volunteer to help with transport. But you might want to be prepared to bring the turtle to us if a volunteer can't be found.
- We do most of our communications through Facebook. Sadly, the Pages Manager app leaves a lot to be desired. I rarely get notifications on my phone when someone has messaged us. Please do not use the 'Send a Message' on feature on Facebook if you are trying to reach us for help with a hurt turtle. It may be hours before we see it. If you have a turtle emergency, please see our page for Turtle Emergency and then call us at (601) 672-1418 - please note that only emergencies are answered right away (injured/threatened turtles). Non-emergency calls and texts will be answered as soon as we're able.
- Please be patient with us. We are only two people with only one vehicle. We realize we're the only rescue in the state dedicated to turtles only. But we also can't be everywhere at once. And if we are constantly running a turtle ambulance service, then we are forced to neglect the turtles we already have here that depend on us to get them better.
Contact Our Turtle Rescue
CONTACT INFO:
Central Mississippi Turtle Rescue
Post Office Box 1374
Florence, MS 39073
Email: turtlerescuems@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/centralmsturtlerescue
Non-urgent calls: (601) 845-1932. This line is for non-urgent matters. If you're calling about an immediate concern such as a hurt or sick turtle, please call our emergency line below. Please note that we work full-time, so our non-urgent line may not be answered right away. Leave us a voicemail and we will call you back. Also, please note that this line is a landline, so you cannot text it.
Emergency Line (calls or texts): (601) 672-1418
Please read the Turtle Emergencies post for tips on what to do if you have an injured turtle or tortoise.
*Please note - this rescue is not staffed full-time. This is a home-based facility, run by a husband and wife team, both of whom work full time jobs. We will make every effort to respond to calls, emails, texts, and messages as quickly as possible. If you need immediate assistance and cannot reach us, please try contacting a local reptile vet (Google reptile vet for a listing), a licensed wildlife rehabber in your area, the MS Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, or the Jackson Zoo. You can find contact information for other wildlife rescues in MS on our Wildlife
Rescues page.
Central Mississippi Turtle Rescue
Post Office Box 1374
Florence, MS 39073
Email: turtlerescuems@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/centralmsturtlerescue
Non-urgent calls: (601) 845-1932. This line is for non-urgent matters. If you're calling about an immediate concern such as a hurt or sick turtle, please call our emergency line below. Please note that we work full-time, so our non-urgent line may not be answered right away. Leave us a voicemail and we will call you back. Also, please note that this line is a landline, so you cannot text it.
Emergency Line (calls or texts): (601) 672-1418
Please read the Turtle Emergencies post for tips on what to do if you have an injured turtle or tortoise.
*Please note - this rescue is not staffed full-time. This is a home-based facility, run by a husband and wife team, both of whom work full time jobs. We will make every effort to respond to calls, emails, texts, and messages as quickly as possible. If you need immediate assistance and cannot reach us, please try contacting a local reptile vet (Google reptile vet for a listing), a licensed wildlife rehabber in your area, the MS Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, or the Jackson Zoo. You can find contact information for other wildlife rescues in MS on our Wildlife
Rescues page.
*The map below is left intentionally vague. We are not open to the public, nor do we accept dropped-off turtles. (If a turtle is dropped off while we're not home, the temperatures, weather, insects, or even predators near our home could be dangerous or fatal for any turtles that are just left there. This map is simply for those who may not know where Florence is in Mississippi. If you need to bring us a turtle, call first.)
If you are unable to contact us, or if you are not in the central Mississippi area, Animal Help Now is a fantastic resource for finding wildlife rehabilitators or veterinarians across the United States. There is also an accompanying app for both iOS and Android.