Posted on: 2018-04-20 10:30:45
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Turtle news we found interesting recently.
Stories include giving up on a race for a turtle-ly awesome reason. Color-coordinated hand-feeding. And the Turtle Man spends his days sculpting turtles on the beach.
Plus we never get tired of watching hatchlings toddle across the sand.
And much more.
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Recent Box Turtle News
Still not too much boxie news to find. But if you’re in Massachusetts near Wellfleet, consider this training session.
Learn to track box turtles: If you’re near the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, sign up to learn box turtle tracking, and then head out to do just that! Presentation is on May 20.
And here’s an interesting picture showing different box turtle shell patterns. So cool!
Recent U. S. Turtle News
As long as there are sea turtles and humans, there will be a Turtle Hospital. And hopefully continued improvement in treatments (honeycomb!? Wow). And people who want to keep learning about and protecting these amazing animals.
Sadly there will probably also always be some who just don’t care. But at least for this week the good stories outnumber the sad.
Turtle research and treatment advances
How do sea turtles find their way back to the beach where they hatched? A new study says they use the earth’s magnetic field. At least loggerheads do, and probably others too.
And the finding is already changing how one conservation group protects nests: Since metal can affect magnetic fields, they’re using plastic cages to protect nests.
Lasers and honeycombs and vacuums, oh my!: Sea turtles are getting top-notch medical treatments. (Yes, honeycomb is top-notch!). And it really makes a difference.
Good news for sea turtles
The Turtle Hospital gains immortality: Well, maybe not quite. But as close as possible. The hospital’s founder has transferred the property’s deed to a nonprofit and restricted its use for turtle care only. 💚 (Florida Keys)
Responsible Pier Initiative worked as intended for Clark the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle: The Initiative includes signs all along the pier with instructions on what to do if you accidentally hook a sea turtle. The fisherman who hooked Clark followed them & the sea turtle is now recovering at the Gulfarium’s CARE center.
Rare Kemp’s ridley sea turtle nest on Sanibel Island: These turtles rarely nest on the Island.
Turtle-friendly lighting rules spread: Okaloosa was the only county in the Panhandle without any lighting rules for protecting sea turtles. But new rules passed earlier this week.
A bit of fun
He builds turtle sand sculptures on the beach: And he uses only a shell! Every year he and his wife return to the same beach where he’s now known as “Turtle Man.”
And stories that make us ask “Why?”
Caught in driftnets: Fishermen use these nets to catch swordfish, but they also catch any other large animals that swim into them. That includes sea turtles, sharks, porpoises, and others. They don’t look too humane for the swordfish, either. 😢 (Warning: The video is graphic)
What not to do if you catch a turtle: The alligator snapping turtle had managed to survive some 75 – 80 years. But it couldn’t survive these men. (Oklahoma) 😠
Recent International Turtle News
That cool-looking turtle may be in more trouble than we thought, unless a conservation plan can be finalized and funded.
But other turtles are luckier. Like those being treated at the Australia Zoo using its brand new scope. Or the one rescued from a fishing net by a racing team.
Find these stories and more …
Helping the turtles, in big ways and small
Russell Crowe: Actor, producer, turtle hero: He recently donated a $50,000 endoscope to the Australia Zoo’s Wildlife Hospital. Now vets will be able to see inside turtle throats & stomachs without cutting them open. Less major surgery means better survival & quicker recovery. 💚
More conservation areas for Sumatra’s sea turtles: Officials plan to improve conservation areas, protect more areas, and increase public education on avoiding turtle meat.
Selling chocolates to save the turtles with green mohawks: It’s true. Conservationists are cobbling together funds wherever they can. Although a committee wrote a recovery plan for 5 species living in the Mary River back in 2013, the government never signed off on it. ☹️
Babies are always exciting (and adorable)
Watch baby green sea turtles toddle to the sea: They were rescued from their nest back in January after the sea swept too much sand over the nest. Includes pictures and video. (New South Wales, Australia)
Another nest hatches on the Coff’s Coast: The rescued green babies had barely gotten to the sea (see story above) when another green turtle nest hatched on the same beach. This one also needed a bit of help, and volunteers excavated the nest to help the babies who didn’t quite make it out on their own.
The painted turtles are hatching!: 2017 saw more than 100 Western Painted Turtle nests at Elizabeth Lake by Cranbrook. And residents are looking forward to Turtle Day on April 24. They can expect to see more turtle hatchlings then. (British Columbia, Canada)
Turtle rescues and rehabs
Saving turtle more important than winning race: Sailors in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers stopped to free a Loggerhead turtle from a fishing net. They may have lost the race, but as far as we’re concerned, they won the day! 💞
Six rescued turtles have gone home to Malaysia: An animal welfare group in Singapore had been caring for them since their rescues. The group has recently been trying to rehabilitate and release more animals.
Terror alert leads to turtle rescue: The patrol boat was out because of an alert that terrorists might be operating in the sea. Instead the crew found 2 sea turtles tangled in an abandoned fishing net.
Hand-feeding Loggerheads at The Deep aquarium: It’s both adorable (hand-feeding turtles!) and sad (their injuries make it necessary).
Miscellaneous turtle stories
Giant sand sea turtle protests plastic pollution: The 12-meter long turtle and a nearby sign declaring plastic containers don’t disappear are part of the Break Free From Plastic campaign by Greenpeace. (Veracruz, Mexico)
How to get caught smuggling sea turtle eggs: Drive erratically and then act squirrelly when you get pulled over.
3D printing helps understand mating behavior: Scientists have used 3D printed turtles to study if northern map turtle males choose females based on size. And another group wants to know if the color of yellow toad males affects female choice. 😮