August 4, 2025

Splash On, Snooki!

Greetings!

We have some exciting news to share. Snooki has a forever home! She will be moving to the Minnesota Zoo at the end of the month.

Snooki will be housed in the Zoo's 250,000 gallon Atlantic Reef exhibit, a tank 50 times larger than her current pool! There, she'll have lots of friends to keep her company.

Snooki's Story

Snooki stranded in September 2016 in Cape May, New Jersey. She was rescued and triaged by the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, then transferred to the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in October 2016 for further evaluation and treatment. Once she arrived, it became obvious she was positively buoyant. A CT scan revealed fractures to her upper spine, likely caused by some sort of blunt force trauma. We attempted a number of procedures and surgeries, but sadly nothing could resolve the damage.

Unable to dive, Snooki could never be returned to the wild. We turned our attention to finding her a forever home. And now, the Minnesota Zoo has stepped up!

Splash On with Snooki during October!

Visit! There's still time to visit Snooki during one of our public tours. While you're here, get a free Snooki sticker and sign her banner that will accompany her to Minnesota! We're open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through the end of October. Click Here for more information and to book tickets.

Adopt! Symbolically adopt Snooki and help fund her journey to Minnesota! Free Snooki sticker included. Adoptions at the $125 and $250 level will also receive a Snooki pin (while supplies last). All Snooki adoptions during October will go towards the Snooki Travel Fund. Click Here for more information and to adopt.

Donate! Contribute to Snooki's Travel Fund directly and help her get to Minnesota! When you donate, feel free to leave a message for or about Snooki! Click Here to donate securely online.

Keep your eye on our social media pages for updates!

Splash On,

Kathy Zagzebski

Executive Director

The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle

Rescue and Rehabilitation Center

This conservation work for protected sea turtles at KBSTRRC is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, ES Permit 25ST05.

The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center

910-329-0222 | info@seaturtlehospital.org | www.seaturtlehospital.org