Posted on: 2019-01-04 10:30:29
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Turtle stories we found interesting recently.
It’s a short list this week. The turtles must be recovering from the holidays just like us!
Or maybe it’s just the natural cycle. In the US most turtles are brumating (hibernating) and sea turtles aren’t nesting. Cold-stunning season is mostly over, although cold-stunned patients are still recovering.
And a few sea turtles got to go home for the holidays.
Elsewhere sea turtles are nesting, if a bit late in some cases. But others never make it to the beach. 😕
There’s also some rescues, some conservation news & more.
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Recent Box Turtle News
American box turtles are still keeping a low profile.
But one of their Asian cousins made the news this week. This turtle may be more rare than our boxies. But conservationists are trying to give it a helping hand.
Can the golden coin turtle be saved? Conservationists sure hope so. The only place in the wild you can still find this Asian box turtle species is Hong Kong. And even there it’s almost impossible to find. But there’s a good breeding program going on, also in Hong Kong. And hopefully one day soon some of those captive turtles can head out into the wild with legal protections that allow them to thrive. Includes pictures & video.
Recent U. S. Turtle News
Sea turtles recovering, and 2 all better & back home. Plus sometimes the best discoveries are unplanned.
Meet some of the patients at Sea Turtle Recovery: It’s just one of the many organizations helping this season’s cold-stunned sea turtles get healthy enough to head back home. Some get to leave quickly. Other may take a year or more. Video. (New Jersey)
Shelmore has left the building! You may have seen the story back in September of the turtle who ate an eel that fought back? Veterinarians didn’t expect her to live, but she did. And she went back to sea just before New Year’s. 💚 See video of her release here. (Florida)
Donatello also got to greet 2019 as a free turtle: The loggerhead had a short stay at The Turtle Hospital to recover from stomach issues. Includes video. (Florida)
Houston’s alligator snapping turtles: The city’s Buffalo Bayou may be home to the largest successful population of these prehistoric beasts. A possibility wildlife biologists discovered by accident!
Recent International Turtle News
It’s mostly sea turtle news this week, as researchers hope to improving nesting and nest success rates. But the turtles will need to actually make it to the beach …
Also turtle rescues, turtle smuggling, and river terrapin breeding.
Sea turtle nesting news
3-D mapping of sea turtle nesting beaches: Researchers hope to use their detailed models to learn how best to help these endangered animals survive in the face of fewer & smaller nesting beaches.
Can “artificial rain” improve sea turtle nest success rates? Researchers hope so. In recent years heatwaves have caused embryos & hatchlings to die in the nests. So a trial at Mon Repos is using sprinklers to keep the temperatures lower. (Queensland, Australia)
Olive ridleys have finally arrived at Goa beaches: Conservationists were relieved to see the season’s 1st turtle at Galgibaga beach and the 3rd at Morjim. (India)
Olive ridleys get trapped in nets while trying to reach the beach: Sadly the turtles trying to nest along India’s southeastern coast are dying because the fishing nets don’t have turtle excluder devices. 😰
Sea turtle rescue news
Rescuers help all living creatures after Sunda Strait tsunami: Hundreds of people died from the storm. One bright spot in the devastation for rescue workers has been returning more than 30 turtles to the sea. Includes video of 2 turtles clearly eager to get back in the water. (Indonesia)
When 4 lucky turtles met 2 kind men: The turtles weren’t too lucky when they got themselves tangled in the same mass of plastic. But they were lucky the brothers found them and took the time to carefully free them. Includes pictures & video. (Mexico)
Other turtle news
Bengal’s river terrapins benefit from breeding program: The breeding program now has 300 of the critically endangered animals. Still a tiny number, but a good start. The plan is to release a few at a time & monitor how they do in the wild.
Turtle smugglers in Sindh pay a fine & go right back to “business”: Turtle smuggling is a lucrative business in the Pakistani province (and elsewhere). In just 10 years many water turtles have become endangered throughout the country. 😠