Richard Moretti


Richard Moretti watches a turtle recuperate at his facility on Marathon Key.

When seen from above, the Dodge Prowler looks like a turtle, with its exposed front wheels and articulating bumpers reaching out like flippers. So, it is not a complete contrast when you see Richard Moretti cruising around the middle Florida Keys in his Prowler. And Moretti, a slight, active man with hair down to his elbows, is hardly the sort of hero the bulky, slow turtles he rescues would envision, if they could.

In a facility beside and behind a small motel on Marathon Key, Moretti rescues, treats and returns to the wild about four dozen turtles each year. Most of these turtles have lost a flipper, and he teaches them to swim with the remaining three. Most are injured when they are hit by a powerboat, or become entangled in monofilament fishing line.

"We're trying to bring the treatment of wounded wildlife off the picnic tables and out from under the buck knives," Moretti says. "and into a reasonable form of care." He is doing this without any veterinary education. "I was a VW mechanic." But his enthusiasm alone is enough to keep the operation running. As he looks over a new project with his assistant, he is upbeat, positive and polite. He apparently appreciates the labors of his staff, and they appreciate his encouragement.

Richard Moretti lives on a small yacht behind the hotel, which he owns, and he makes no money from saving turtles. In fact, he uses the profits from the Hidden Harbor Motel to fund the Turtle Hospital. "I bought the land 18 years ago to bulldoze it," he says. "I changed my mind."

It's a good thing he did, as he has created a very important organization that not only treats turtles, but helps people understand how vulnerable these and other waterborne animals are. In the front of the hospital is a classroom, where he teaches thousands of school students each year. There is also a small studio, where he produces educational programs for the Discovery Channel.

In the hospital, a licensed veterinarian has access to a fully stocked surgical room and an X-ray machine. For post surgery, Moretti has commandeered the motel's swimming pool. Treated turtles are placed in a large surgical tank for three months, then in a "quad" tank for another three months. They are then put in the swimming pool for six months. (Motel guests are not encouraged to swim with the turtles.) After a year of treatment, if the turtle has learned to swim, it is set free in the Gulf of Mexico.

The turtle hospital is not open to visitors and Moretti does not solicit contributions. "I'm rich to start with," he says, stating that he could spend more money on the turtles if he didn't have his own toys, such as the Prowler. "There will be a lot more money for them after I'm dead."

There may be more money, but the energy and enthusiasm he brings to the project will surely be missed. Richard Moretti has a beautiful way of sparking life into conversations around him, of bringing out the best in people, and of saving lives - be they humble as a silent, lumbering turtle - in the Florida Keys.

Looking for a motel room during your next visit to the Keys? You'll sleep better knowing your money is going to a good cause. Stay at the Hidden Harbor Motel in Marathon.
(305)743-5376.

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