Posted on: 2018-07-06 10:30:28
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Interesting turtle news we found recently.
Turtles of all kinds are still nesting … sadly some people don’t seem to really care. Even when it’s their job to care.
Several sea turtles celebrate their own independence, Kemp’s ridley populations may be recovering, and another state may end commercial turtle harvests.
Also possible hybrid sea turtle hatchlings, more plastic bag bans, and beach cleanups make a difference.
Plus much more.
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Recent Box Turtle News
No boxie news this week, so enjoy this short video of an ornate box turtle nibbling on a juicy strawberry. 💚
Recent U. S. Turtle News
Sea turtles value their independence too, commercial turtle harvests may end in Arkansas, and a look at life as a sea turtle intern. Plus more.
It was Independence Day for sea turtles too
Ok, maybe Independence Week, as a few of these guys got their freedom in late June.
4 honu (Hawaiian green sea turtles) head home: The Mauna Lani Bay Hotel released them as part of its annual Turtle Independence Day celebration. See video of the event here.
Kemp’s ridley release on Padre Island National Seashore: A big crowd celebrated with the baby turtles. Includes video.
Figment got his independence a couple days early: The juvenile green sea turtle has been recovering at the Brevard Zoo since March.
5 loggerheads are back home: They were all suffering life-threatening conditions when they arrived at the New England Aquarium back in November & December. But now they are all healthy and back where they belong. Includes videos. (Massachusetts)
Walter is happy to have recovered from red tide poisoning: The 230-pound loggerhead went back to sea last week after weeks of treatment at the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife. He got a tracker before heading out, so you can track him and 20-ish other sea turtles on the Sea Turtle Conservancy site.
Other sea turtle news
Jack the sea turtle has a chance at life now: The loggerhead was floundering in the surf when a man on vacation saw it and helped it get onto the beach. He’s getting treatment at the Sea Turtle Hospital at the South Carolina Aquarium. The poor thing was clearly exhausted, as you can see in the video he wasn’t even trying to move.
Help count Hawaii’s green sea turtles: NOAA wants anyone who sees any of Hawaii’s green sea turtles (honu) to take pictures (from a distance!) & email them and/or post on social media to help with their annual count.
Cautiously good news for Kemp’s ridley sea turtles: Nesting along the Texas and Mexico gulf coats plummeted after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. And it stayed lower than expected until last year, which was a record year. This year isn’t quite as good, but might be good enough to stay optimistic that these turtles are recovering.
The glamorous life of a sea turtle intern on Keewaydin Island: Ok, it’s not glamorous. It can get downright hot & buggy. And boring on nights without nests. But the interns love it, and there’s always lots of applicants for the positions. (Florida)
The real value of the Tour de Turtles: Yes, it’s fun to track the turtles for 3 months & see if your favorite wins. But the real winners are the scientists who now have a decade of data on turtle movements. And hopefully the turtles themselves as more & more data helps us figure out how best to protect them. The tracker on Eliza Ann, last year’s winner, is still transmitting.
Miscellaneous turtle news
Trying to protect bog turtle habitat: To protect bog turtles in Jane’s Meadow Bog, the Catawba Lands Conservancy wants to buy the land next to it, which is for sale. It is trying to raise $150,000 to do that. (North Carolina)
Arkansas considers banning commercial turtle harvests: It’s doing so in response to a petition filed by the Center for Biological Diversity. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will make a final decision on Aug 16. Public comment is welcome until then.
Save Our Shores’ Coastal Cleanup Day is coming: If past years are any indication, on September 15 tens of thousands of volunteers will clean up hundreds of thousands of pounds of trash along California’s coastline. And hundreds of thousands more around the world will collect millions of pounds. If you’re near a cleanup site, why not consider volunteering?
A happy-looking little mud turtle: Photo. And a short description of these little cuties.
A bale of turtles sunning themselves on a rock: The rock is at a waterfall in Mirabeau Point Park in Spokane, Washington. And one of the turtles is bright red. Is it paint (probably) or algae? Includes video.
Recent International Turtle News
Rescuing a sea turtle from poachers, are we listening to the turtles, and a pet turtle is back home after a 3-year adventure. Plus more.
Sea turtle rescue news
Mumbai man follows poachers, rescues hawksbill: He didn’t know what kind of turtle it was when he saw 2 men taking selfies with it. But he knew it belonged back in the sea. And he didn’t stop until he made that happen. 💚 Includes video.
Loggerhead tangled in fishing nets on a beach: Luckily a group of fishermen came to her rescue & cut her free. Includes video. (Oman)
Sea turtle hatchling news
Caretta caretta hatching in southwestern Turkey: The Sea Turtles Research, Rescue and Rehabilitation Center monitors and protects loggerhead nests at Iztuzu beach. It also rescues & releases babies too weak to make it to the sea on their own.
Are loggerhead & hawksbills mating with each other? Maybe. Recent hatchlings in the caymans might be a cross between the 2 turtle species. This isn’t completely unheard of, but is very rare.
Sea turtles and plastic (yes, again)
Are sea turtles the canaries of the ocean? Canaries used to let miners know if the air in the mines was hazardous. Today sea turtles with guts full of plastic seem to be telling us Earth’s water has become hazardous. 😢 Are we listening, and can we fix it before it’s too late?
Will Australia go completely plastic bag free? Most Australian states and several retail chains have banned or restricted the bags. Way to go! The turtles, fish, birds, and other wildlife thank you.
Plastic bag bans may have come to late for this turtle A CT scan confirmed the green sea turtle has a buildup of gas in its body cavity, and vets suspect it may have eaten plastic. 😢 (Western Australia)
Other sea turtle news
Mon Repos turtle centre is expanding: The new centre will benefit visitors and turtles alike. (Queensland, Australia)
Liberan Island sees more & more sea turtles: Daily beach cleanings, among other efforts, have helped encourage turtles to nest. And about 30,000 baby sea turtles have made it to the sea thanks to Friends of Sea Turtles Education & Research. 💚 (Malaysia)
He was supposed to be protecting the eggs: But instead a security guard drove his car onto the beach, putting the loggerhead eggs at risk. 😡 (Malta)
Other turtle news
Please don’t release your pet sliders: When we warn against release of something like a box turtle it’s because they’re unlikely to survive if they’re not native to the area. But red-eared sliders—long a popular pet around the world—are crazy-adaptable. As long as temperatures don’t get cold enough to kill them they’ll most likely out-compete any native turtle around. And that’s become a problem around the world, including Cyprus.
Did the City of Kingston destroy turtle nests? One resident believes the recent grading of road shoulders may have done just that. He found 18 nests in a short stretch where the grader couldn’t reach. So how many were in the rest of the shoulder? We’re all for maintaining roads, but if the road runs through turtle habitat, maybe do the work outside of turtle nesting season?
Fernando reemerges after 3 years hiding in a lake: The Cumberland slider got away from his owner at a lake in 2015. His owner went back to look for him several times, but it was a fisherman who found him last week. (Estonia)