How a lifelong love of turtles led a dentist to put down her drill
CBC
April Nason cares a lot about sea turtles and she wants you to care about them, too.
Originally from Saint John, Nason left dentistry behind last year to work as the education and outreach co-ordinator for the Canadian Sea Turtle Network in Halifax.
"They have a lot of personality and they're super cute," Nason told Information Morning Saint John.
She is giving several presentations this weekend in Saint Andrews to celebrate World Sea Turtle Day, which is held every year on June 16.
Nason was an animal lover growing up, but was also "allergic to everything," and after her parents tired of her tears over fish that frequently died, they brought home two red-eared slider turtles.
She said her parents expected the pair to last six months, but they lived for 23 years.
"And right around when we got turtles at the age of 6, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles also came out and became a big thing," said Nason. "And when your name is April, and you have pet turtles, it kind of seals you in as the turtle girl."
April is the name of a friend of the turtle brothers in the popular franchise.
When it was time for university, Nason said she loved marine biology, but she also was interested in health care.
She started a bachelor's degree in marine biology, but didn't think she would enjoy the work, so she chose dental school.
While working as a dentist, she decided to pursue a master's degree, and then last year, she decided to leave her dental practice and focus on sea turtles full time.
Nason said people who knew her well said it was about time, but when she told her patients, many were shocked.
"What's the connection between dentistry and sea turtles? It's like, none. It's just me," she said.
"Sea turtles don't have teeth, so I like to joke that I have tried to get away from teeth as much as possible and choose an animal that has no teeth whatsoever."
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