Posted on: 2019-02-08 10:30:36
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Recent turtle news we found interesting.
A box turtle home gets protection! So do some freshwater turtles in India.
Researchers wonder how alligator snapping turtles handle their food dying, and others wonder how best to keep sea turtle nests cool enough to make male babies. Still others are fascinated by where released sea turtles go and how far they travel.
A turtle smuggler from Pennsylvania faces prison time. We hope the men who killed turtles off Malaysia do too.
Plus more.
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Recent Box Turtle News
Two box turtle stories showed up this week, one with good news and one with sad news.
106 Eastern Box Turtles get protection: A conservation easement now protects 57 acres that the turtles call home. (New York)
RIP Georgette: The little three-toed box turtle was part of an observational study by the St. Louis Box Turtle Project. She survived an infection & losing a leg over the years. But the polar vortex proved too much for her. 😢
Recent U. S. Turtle News
We keep learning more about turtles & how to protect them. Including why more sea turtles than ever are turning up cold-stunned, and how to help fishermen & turtles co-exist safely.
Tracking turtles also helps understand them (plus it’s just plain fun!). Understanding why people insist on catching & selling turtles illegally is harder. And more.
Sea turtle rehab & release news
Alexander (Graham Bell!) has been busy since release: The loggerhead sea turtle got its freedom on Dec. 27 and has traveled more than 2,000 miles since then! 💚
The Florida Aquarium’s new Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center has its 1st patients: A loggerhead and 7 green sea turtles are recovering at the recently opened center. Includes pictures.
13 warmed-up Kemp’s ridley sea turtles head out to sea: They had been cold stunned off Cape Cod, but they’re no doubt enjoying the warmth of Florida waters. Includes pictures & video.
Turtle protection news
We can all do our part to help save the turtles: From finding alternatives to single-use plastics and supporting sustainable seafood practices to simply spreading the word. The article focuses on sea turtles, but many of the suggestions will help other turtles & animals too.
Protecting sea turtles while letting fishermen make a living: It takes a lot of data and coordination, and we don’t always get it right. But apparently we’re getting better at it.
Miscellaneous turtle news
Studying alligator snapping turtles after plant die-off: Many of the aquatic plants in the lower Santa Fe River died in 2012. That left the alligator snappers without enough food and some migrated miles away. Now researchers want to find out how the animals are doing. They may need more protection than they currently get.
Warmer oceans dangerous for sea turtles? At first glance it might seem like warmer temperatures should be good for them. They’re less likely to get cold stunned in warm water, right? But what it’s actually doing is tricking them into moving farther north & west and sticking around longer. And then they get trapped when colder weather arrives. So they’re more likely to get cold stunned.
Terrapin smuggler pleads guilty: The man who smuggled diamondback terrapins & their eggs from New Jersey to his Pennsylvania home to hatch or breed and sell pleaded guilty earlier this week. He faces up to 5 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines.
Recent International Turtle News
A new sea turtle conservation reserve and new protections for freshwater turtles are just 2 of the good-news stories this week.
There’s also turtles returning after a 2-decade absence, a unique hotel pool, and hope for preventing sea turtles from becoming all female.
Plus more.
Turtle protection & conservation news
Saving Myanmar’s turtles: Many of the country’s turtles are endangered, but there are also many people working hard to ensure they don’t disappear completely. See some of the turtles & read about the efforts to save them.
Temple ponds a haven for some extinct turtles: Obviously not completely extinct, but extinct in the wild. At some temple ponds they’re making a comeback, and a few have even been released into the wild. The turtles have a long way to go, and no guarantee they’ll get there, but it’s a fantastic start. (India)
Woman saves leatherback from becoming soup: It took several hours and some money, but the men who wanted to sell the turtle finally agreed to let it go back to sea. The turtle had come ashore to nest, so hopefully she’ll be able to nest safely somewhere else. Includes pictures & video. (Nigeria)
Freshwater turtles getting protections: In India’s Punjab state the nests of 7 freshwater turtle species will be covered to protect them from humans and other predators.
Goa to get a turtle conservation reserve: The western Indian state already protects turtle eggs, but this will be its 1st official reserve.
Turtle nesting news
After 23 years away olive ridleys return to Phang Nga beach: Well, one turtle. It laid 81 eggs on Feb. 2. The eggs have been moved to a protected area. Hopefully more turtles will return to the beach too. (Thailand)
Leatherbacks like Raja Ampat for nesting: 31 of the huge turtles nested at Yenbekaki Village on the Indonesian archipelago last year. And 2,706 baby leatherbacks hatched & went out to the sea.
Mass nesting should start soon at Gahiramatha beach (eastern India): More than 100 have nested in recent days. This usually means many more will arrive shortly.
Other turtle news
The Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project: There’s a hotel in Dubai with a unique pool. It’s full of beautiful sea turtles recovering from illness or injury. Now that’s a place I’d stay!
Last weekend’s Clean Up for the Hatchlings event sets a record: The event removes trash from the Sunshine Coast’s beaches to help hatchling turtles make it safely to the water. This year had more volunteers than ever before (735) and removed the most trash ever (1.525 tons!). It makes us happy so many people care. 💚 But sad that there’s so much trash to collect. 😢 (Australia)
Turtle killers arrested: Three men were caught while killing turtles off Pulau Ligitan (Malaysia) in the early morning hours Wednesday.
Simple, low-cost strategies for lowering turtle nest temperatures: A study has shown that simple shading techniques can keep nests from getting too warm. And that may help prevent the turtle populations from becoming all female.
Where’s Pemba?: The olive ridley turtle has traveled more than 12,700 km since her release off South Africa last March. Researchers think she may be headed for Brazil … maybe to nest?