Posted on: 2019-01-18 10:30:45
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It’s another light turtle news week, but humans are still working hard to understand & help the turtles. They’re studying tumors, cleaning up reefs, and tracking babies.
They’re also holding festivals, opening a rescue/hatchery center, and choosing turtles over casinos (maybe).
There’s also rescues, hatchings, and finally a move for the live turtle museum in Singapore. Plus more.
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Recent Box Turtle News
No box turtles in the news this week.
But this guy spoke to us when we saw the picture. It illustrates how we feel about the weekend’s weather forecast here … We too wish to retreat into our shells in the face of a polar vortex & lots of snow!
Recent U. S. Turtle News
Turtles are keeping pretty quiet across the US. But researchers never stop. And apparently neither do thieves.
Plus we found some updates on 2018 stories, including the hotel waste basket turtles & Florida’s red tide.
Fines for turtle-nabbing: The couple who left 6 sea turtle hatchlings swimming in a hotel waste basket will each have to pay a $930 fine.
Even turtle statues aren’t safe from turtle-nabbers: A 60-pound stone turtle named Donatello disappeared last week in Louisville, KY. Seriously people? If it’s not your turtle (real or fake, doesn’t matter), leave it alone!
Fishing gear & other garbage cleaned out of Hawaii’s reefs: Two cleanups in late 2017 & early 2018 removed 555 pieces of garbage, not including fishing gear (which was much more plentiful 😕 ). We need to do better at not abandoning our garbage & gear wherever possible.
Understanding turtle tumors: Specifically the fibropapillomas that grow in and on sea turtles. Researchers are looking into how genetic diversity of the turtles’ immune system may help them resist the tumors.
We’re still assessing the effects of Florida’s red tide: Almost 600 sea turtles and more than 200 manatees died because of the algae bloom last year. And since sea turtles take so long to mature, we may not know how badly hatchlings were affected for decades. Includes video & pictures (some of dead animals).
Recent International Turtle News
Lots of work on rescuing & conserving sea turtles including two festivals dedicated just to them.
Plus an update on the living turtle museum, it’s casino vs turtle in Ontario, and more smugglers arrested. Plus more.
But first …
Have you ever found a sea turtle in your driveway? Odds are the answer’s no. But this couple in Queensland, Australia can say yes! The poor thing got completely turned around during a storm. Rescuers guided it back to the sea. Includes pictures & video.
Sea turtle festivals news
It’s an Olive Ridley turtle festival! Although probably not a festival in the way you’re used to thinking of festivals. The Velas Turtle Festival is all about watching these turtles hatch & helping them get to the sea. It lasts for a whole month and will be in February this year.
1st Odisha Turtle Festival in the books: The festival took place last weekend & included sand art & more. It’s planned to be an annual festival to highlight olive ridley conservation efforts. Includes pictures. (India)
Sea turtle rescue & hatching news
New Pawikan rescue center and hatchery in the Philippines: The business empire Aboitiz Group has signed an agreement with the DENR and local government to set up the facility to rescue & protect the area’s marine turtles.
Two “floater” sea turtles rescued: One off Gaya Island in Malaysia with no visible injuries. The other at a beach in Northern Territory, Australia. This one has a cut on its shell that could be from a boat propeller. In both cases vets are worried the turtles may have swallowed plastic.
Season’s 1st nests hatch: The first 2 nests laid at Morjim hatched over a few hours early this week. (India)
Other turtle news
The Live Turtle & Tortoise Museum has left the building: And all the animals have gone to their new home. Includes video showing parts of the move. (Singapore)
Did a seismic study injure sea turtles along Israel’s coast? That’s the theory for why 46 sea turtles washed up on the country’s beaches over 3 days recently. Rescuers were able to save 15.
“Save the Turtle, Stop the Casino”: A group by that name says a proposed casino threatens Blanding’s turtle habitat. (Ontario, Canada)
Baby short-necked turtles leave the nest: Well, technically the lab, where a University of Sydney PhD student had incubated & hatched them. Several of the tiny turtles also had trackers to help learn where they go and possibly figure out where & how to release future babies. Includes pictures.
4 turtle smugglers arrested: They were caught with 689 Indian soft-shell river turtles. Sadly not all were alive. (India)