Posted on: 2018-01-05 10:30:54
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Welcome to 2018!
Hopefully you’ve had a good start to your year.
Sadly it hasn’t been a happy new year for sea turtles around the US. The record-breaking cold temperatures have left a lot of them stunned and needing rescue.
Elsewhere green sea turtle nesting season in Australia is going gangbusters. And new conservation efforts are planned in Vietnam.
Plus more stories.
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Recent Box Turtle News
Box turtles may be hibernating in much of the country, but the people who care for and about them aren’t!
Land needed in Texas for Box Turtle Refuge!: They’re looking for at least 20 acres in central or east Texas. It looks like they don’t necessarily have to buy the land, as long as you’d let them use it. 💗
Florida box turtle checks into CROW animal hospital: The hospital’s 1st patient this year has an injured leg & needed surgery. Vets haven’t said if it will be able to go back into the wild after recovery.
Recent U. S. Turtle News
The sudden cold spell didn’t just take us by surprise. Sea turtles never got a warning to move to warmer waters. And hundreds of them have been rescued all along the east coast and Gulf of Mexico.
- Pine Knoll Shores aquarium and the Karen Beasly Turtle Hospital combined have more than 42 turtles in care. Mostly green and Kemp Ridley sea turtles.
- More than 80 sea turtle patients have arrived at the North Carolina Aquarium recently. Some have injuries other than cold stunning, too. 😢
- NOAA’s Sea Turtle Hospital recently took in 18 sea turtles rescued off Galveston Island. Sharks in the area aren’t doing much better, with 3 found dead on Cape Cod Bay shores … 1 was frozen solid. 😢
- More than 80 sea turtle patients have arrived at the North Carolina Aquarium recently. Some have injuries other than cold stunning, too. 😢
- Sea World was out rescuing turtles in the Laguna Madre. They’ve found more than 50, but sadly not all were alive. And the National Park Service rescued some 500 turtles in the Gulf.
Baby snapping turtles update: The 7 who hatched are doing well & the plan is to release them in the spring. The rest of the eggs are still incubating, but staff don’t really expect them to hatch. Includes video.
Have you seen Fertle the Turtle?: He got lost in Santa Clarita in early November 2017. If you’re in the area and happen to see a Southern Cooter wandering around, his human would like to know!
About those baby turtles on treadmills … Dr. Sarah Milton answers some questions about just how they did the study. And how they built those tiny treadmills! 💗
Saving the gopher tortoise: Researchers are trying several different ways of boosting their numbers. Projects include moving them from threatened habitats to protected areas and raising hatchlings until they’re big enough to have a better chance of survival.
Three turtles go home just in time for the new year: They got helping hands from 3 stars of Dolphin Tales. Includes video. (Florida)
Recent International Turtle News
Vietnam plans new turtle conservation project, people are surprised to see a turtle laying eggs in New Zealand, green sea turtle boom in Australia, and more.
Turtle conservation coming to Ly Son Island: The island used to see hundreds of sea turtles nesting, but now few show up. The International Union for Conservation of Nature wants to change that. (Vietnam)
20 years of sea turtle data brings understanding: The Seychelles Islands Foundation is using the data from turtles around the Aldabra atoll to understand the turtles’s movements and the differences between species. This can hopefully help better protect them all.
Egg-laying turtle quite a sight to see: A crowd gathered to watch her lay about 10 eggs. Includes short video. (New Zealand)
Betty the hawksbill vs plastic bag: Everyone’s hoping the bag won’t win, but the poor girl had been floating for quite a while before her rescue. She’s getting the best care possible at the Ark Animal Hospital. (Northern Territory, Australia)
Turtle dies in crab trap: Warning – includes picture! Apparently the trap was bigger than necessary and unlatched, allowing the turtle to get inside. 😢 People who saw the picture on Facebook were understandably upset. (New South Wales, Australia)
More poachers stopped: And 1500 turtles saved. On the one hand, yay! On the other hand, when will people learn to leave nature alone? (Odisha state, India)
More green sea turtles nesting in Australia than usual this year: Volunteers at Wreck Rock in Queensland have seen more in the first few weeks than they usually see all season. 💗 Other beaches are also seeing many more.