Posted on: 2018-07-27 10:30:17
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Turtle news we found interesting recently.
There’s 2 kinds of people in this world: Those who love turtles and those who just love to profit from turtles. We found stories about both.
Also hatchling videos. We’ll never tire of hatchling videos (hopefully you feel the same).
And remember to start checking out the Tour de Turtles on Wednesday (August 1).
Plus some rescues, some releases, and more.
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Recent Box Turtle News
No new box turtle stories this week. Squeal over this little cutie instead.
Sadly it’s one of the Asian box turtles that’s extinct in the wild. McCord’s Box Turtles only exist in captive populations. Let’s not let that happen to our boxies!
And kudos to the Turtle Conservancy for helping keep the species alive. 💚
Recent U. S. Turtle News
The babies are hatching! The babies are hatching! And we found several adorable videos. 💚
But some people aren’t content with just taking pictures & videos. It looks like someone actually stole some hatchlings off the beach. But they’re ok.
We also found turtle rescues, at sea and on land. Plus turtle smugglers sentenced, an inspiring young man who just wants to help the turtles (and help you do the same), and more.
The Tour de Turtles is almost here
2 more entries in the Tour de Turtles announced: “Little Money” and “Coco” were both rehabilitated at the Turtle Hospital before their release last week to join the Tour. See pictures of the release here. And remember to check out the Tour starting Aug. 1—or sooner to see where Little Money & Coco are now.
Sea turtle news
Get well soon, Sweet Pea: The Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center’s ambassador sea turtle is suffering the side effects of getting caught on fishing line. Veterinarians are running tests to decide on treatment, and everyone expects her to be just fine. (Florida)
A roundup of Boca Grande sea turtle news: Hatchlings, releases, reminders, and a call for volunteers with boats.
Towboat crew frees trapped leatherback: One man went into the water with the turtle to cut off the fishing line wrapped multiple times around its head. He said it was gasping for air. 😢 Includes pictures.
5 boats passed by turtle in trouble: But not charter boat Captain David White. He got it in the boat, called Mote Marine Laboratory, and named the turtle for a 10-year-old member of the day’s charter expedition. White has rescued sea turtles before. What a wonderful man. 💚
Red tide continues to claim turtle lives: The numbers of stranded & dead turtles washed up on SW Florida beaches is much higher than in years without red tide. The red tide started in Nov. 2017 & is the worst since 2006. Includes video & pictures (Warning: Video & pictures both include images of dead turtles.).
The “lights out” message makes it all the way to Jeopardy!: Unfortunately the contestant got it wrong. Residents are all the more determined to make sure visitors get the message. Not only about about lights, but also holes on the beach and leaving nests alone.
Concern for turtles in path of lava on Hawaii: Officials believe most turtles in the area should have been able to escape to the ocean before the lava reached them. Sadly social media reports suggest some may not have made it.
This 5-year-old is all about the sea turtles: He set up a lemonade stand to benefit the Sea Turtle Care Center. He also knows all about how to fill in holes at the beach, turn off your lights & other ways to help the turtles. Way to go Sam!
Hatchling videos!
It doesn’t get much cuter than swimming baby sea turtles: Little loggerheads enjoying the sunshine & learning to use their flippers at The Turtle Hospital. That’s it! Just a video & a member of the staff telling us a little bit about them. Enjoy. 💚
Hatchling excitement at Tyndall Air Force Base: The 1st nest at the base has hatched & the babies are at sea. 💚 Includes pictures & video. (Florida)
A steady stream of tiny turtles on Anna Maria Island: Yep, another nest hatched! Video. (Florida)
Sea turtle hatchlings ignore paparazzi on way to sea: 2 rows of people created a safe path toward the sea for the little cuties. But they were focused on their mission, as they should be. <3 Includes video. (South Carolina)
Other hatchling news
Disoriented hatchlings end up in storm drain: A volunteer saw turtle tracks that stopped near the drain. The Madeira Beach Fire Department came to the rescue. Includes picture & video. (Florida)
Turtles don’t belong in trash cans! Someone visiting Tybee Island apparently thought they did … filling a trash can with water & letting 6 loggerhead babies swim around. The person then abandoned them in the room for housekeeping to find. Five are now home in the sea & one will be a teaching turtle for a while. Includes video. (Georgia)
Nest excavation yields 4 hatchlings: These were the babies who didn’t make it out of the nest on their own. Thanks to Coastal Connections they now have a chance to live their lives. Video. (Florida)
Other turtle-related news
Thank you for helping a turtle: The author helped a Western Painted Turtle cross a road & tells us a bit about this kind of turtle. 💚 (Nebraska)
Turtle smuggling flight attendants ordered to pay fines & leave the country: They had 3 days to pay up & then get out.
Snapping turtle doesn’t snap as town workers cut hook: It seemed to know they were helping. Includes video.
New Jersey’s diamondback terrapins & the illegal wildlife trade: Asia’s a big market for turtles, and the state only started protecting these terrapins in 2015.
Saving Tennessee’s Alligator Snapping Turtles: There’s only been 3 alligator turtle sightings in the Nashville area in 20 years. So now the Nashville Zoo is raising them to help boost the wild population.
Unique turtle sculpture holds trash: The idea is to highlight how our garbage can affect wildlife. The stainless steel turtle lives near the Sunset Beach gazebo. (North Carolina)
Nonprofit creating beauty from plastic trash: Volunteers with Washed Up collect plastic from South Padre Island beaches and turn it into sea creatures and other animals. The goal is to raise awareness not only of the problem but that we’re each responsible for our garbage.
Recent International Turtle News
Poachers are determined. Sometimes they succeed. 😢
What’s it like to volunteer as a sea turtle patrol? One woman shares her story. 💚
Also a sea turtle poops out a lot of fishing line (with a little help), a snapping turtle mystery, and more.
Poachers on Grand Cayman
Poachers kidnap nesting sea turtle: All she wanted to do was lay her eggs. But poachers dragged her away after pulling a knife on a Turtle Center monitor who tried to stop them. They then damaged a police car to make their escape. 😡 (Grand Cayman)
Poachers scared off from taking a nesting sea turtle: They had flipped her on her back, but someone saw her before they could take her. She nested the next night. (Grand Cayman)
Sea turtle patrols, research, and more
Volunteering as a sea turtle patroller: An Ansonia (Connecticut) woman heard about a volunteer program in Costa Rica & decided it sounded perfect. And volunteers from around the world agree.
Using drones to find sea turtle nests: A 2-year research project in Albania is collecting data on sporadic sea turtle nestings, which can hopefully help with future conservation. The drones are helping to find those nests.
Rescued turtle tried to poop out 7 feet of fishing line: But knots in the line got it stuck partly in & partly out. After an x-ray confirmed no hooks on the line, the rescue center’s veterinarian gently removed the rest of the line. (India)
Good news for Greek loggerheads: They laid record numbers of nests on the island of Zakynthos in the Ionian Sea. More than 2x as many nests as last year! 💚
Miscellaneous turtle-related news
Illegal trafficking threatens Myanmar’s turtles: All 27 turtle species that call the country home are in danger of extinction. The Bambwe Turtle Rescue Centre, with support from the British government, is working to put an end to the illegal wildlife trade.
Students get creative to raise awareness of plastic pollution: And by “creative” we mean they created a sculpture of a leatherback sea turtle out of plastic waste.
How did snapping turtles get to Cape Breton? Nobody’s entirely sure, but sightings have increased lately. So they’ve probably been there for a while & are well established by now.