This Giving Tuesday, Will You Join Us in Saving Endangered Turtles?

We’re excited to share that several of our generous supporters have come together to create a $25,000 Matching Gift Challenge for Giving Tuesday 2025! Every donation made between now and December 2^nd will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $25,000, doubling your impact to help save endangered turtles and tortoises from extinction.

This Giving Tuesday, your gift makes a real difference:

$25 - Provides nutritious food for endangered turtles and tortoises, from growing juveniles to adults recovering from illness or injury, for one month.
$50 - Supplies daily care essentials such as feeding tools, gloves, cleaning supplies, and enrichment materials for one month, helping our keepers maintain healthy, stress-free turtles.
$75 – Supports the powering of heat lamps, pumps, and filtration systems that keep fragile species safe and stable.
$100 - Strengthens security systems that protect endangered turtles from theft and vandalism by contributing to the night guard service at our Mexico Center, home to the Critically Endangered Vallarta Mud Turtle.
$250 - Equips our field team with gear, fencing, and travel support for rescue missions and rewilding projects that return turtles to safe habitats.
$500 - Contributes to the electricity that keeps our incubators warm and our assurance colonies thriving, one of our largest ongoing expenses.

Become a monthly donor to make your impact last all year. Your recurring gift provides steady support for turtle care, breeding, and rewilding efforts worldwide.

🎁 Special Thank-You: While supplies last, donors in the USA who give $50 or more will receive our limited-edition 2026 Turtle Island calendar, featuring some of our most adorable and endangered residents.

Larger gifts of $1,000, $2,500, or more also contribute to our turtle care and construction fund, helping us move closer to our dream of building The Dome, a turtle-shaped research and conservation center open to the public.

Every gift, no matter the size, brings us closer to reintroducing turtles into their natural habitats and securing their future in the wild.

🐢About Turtle Island

Protecting the World’s Most Endangered & Overlooked Turtle and Tortoise Species®

Turtle Island is a nonprofit conservation center and animal shelter dedicated to the urgent mission of rescuing, researching, and rewilding endangered turtles and tortoises from around the world. Specifically, we focus on rescuing turtles from illegal trade activities or imminent danger, conducting conservation genetic research, and implementing conservation breeding programs, with the ultimate goal of reintroducing these turtles into safe habitats.

Home to the largest and most diverse turtle collection on earth, Turtle Island stands at the forefront of conservation for these remarkable, often overlooked creatures.

See the Difference We're Making:

3,080 turtles currently in our care
>300 distinct taxa of the 360 known worldwide protected in our facilities
178 threatened species receiving life-saving care
3,516 turtle hatchlings brought safely into the world
382 turtles re-homed into secure environments
10 International projects committed to conservation worldwide

Our Mission:

To save turtles & tortoises from extinction through acute rescue, care, research, breeding, and rewilding.

Our Objectives:

Protect endangered turtles: Focus on species often neglected in conservation, preventing extinction through dedicated care and breeding programs.
Rescue and rehabilitate unwanted and confiscated animals from illegal trade activities, ensuring their health and safety within our conservation center.
Advance conservation genetic research to improve conservation strategies for endangered turtle and tortoise populations.
Maintain conservation breeding programs that strengthen wild populations by establishing stable assurance colonies.
Engage in habitat restoration to prepare protected areas for rewilding, ensuring long-term habitat sustainability.
Lead rewilding and reintroduction efforts, revitalizing natural habitats with turtles from our programs.
Promote awareness through social media, newsletters, and outreach, engaging communities in the importance of turtle conservation.

Donate with Confidence

Turtle Island is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, and your donation is tax-deductible, governed by U.S. tax laws (Tax ID number: 83-1706767). In Austria, donations to Turtle Island from companies (§ 4a para. 2 no. 3 EstG, NT3539) and private individuals are tax-deductible as business expenses or as part of the employee tax assessment.

We are honored to have received the highest recognition: a 4-star Charity Navigator rating and a Platinum Seal of Transparency on Candid GuideStar. This affirms our commitment to transparency, accountability, and life-saving conservation.

For more information, visit our website https://turtle-island.org/

Hope Begins with You This Giving Tuesday

This Giving Tuesday is your chance to double your impact for turtles in need. Every dollar you give helps protect these irreplaceable species and safeguards a vital piece of our planet’s biodiversity.

We’re deeply grateful for your compassion and partnership in protecting these extraordinary beings.
Thank you for standing with us and with turtles everywhere.

Turtle Island

By Turtle Island

Turtle Island

Protecting the World's Most Endangered & Overlooked Turtle and Tortoise Species