Posted on: 2018-06-01 10:30:35
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Recent turtle news we found interesting.
Of course it’s turtle nesting season pretty much everywhere (where it’s summer now, anyway). So sometimes nests pop up in interesting places. Other times Mother Nature is cruel.
Meanwhile humans continue to be a mix of cruel (traffickers) and kind (rescuers & others). But more kind than cruel.
And 2 stories of very helpful canines!
We also found a lonely turtle, a turtle reunion, and even news of a whole new turtle.
Plus more.
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Recent Box Turtle News
Understanding turtles & their habitats is important to protecting them. But it’s hard to study them when you can’t find them. So sometimes you need a little help finding & retrieving them.
“Turtle dogs” help researchers learn about Eastern box turtles: The dogs, Boykin Spaniels, are more commonly used as bird dogs. But their retrieving abilities work just as well on turtles! They track a turtle’s scent & carefully carry the animal back to researchers who document each animal & add trackers to many. (Ohio)
Recent U. S. Turtle News
Nesting season is in high gear for all kinds of turtles all over the country. We found a mix of good & sad nesting news.
We also have some rescues, some releases, a reunion, & more.
Alberto not kind to sea turtle nests
It’s perfectly normal for storms to damage some nests during the season. But that doesn’t make it any less sad for turtle lovers. Especially when the nest belongs to one of the most endangered of the sea turtles. 😢
Rescuing turtle eggs ahead of high tides: Alberto caused higher than normal tides on Anna Maria Island, and turtle watchers were out on Memorial Day moving nests & trying to save as many eggs as possible.
Will Pensacola Beach’s Kemp’s ridley nest hatch? Sadly Alberto flooded the only Kemp’s ridley nest ever recorded on the beach. Experts are hopeful but realistic: The eggs probably did not survive.
Collier County nests washed away: The storm completely wiped out at least 5 nests in the southwest Florida county. It flooded another 26.
Turtle rescues
Reporter sees turtle in trouble: Several cars drove over it, luckily without hitting it. So he rescues it! And he does so safely, pulling off to the side of the road & waiting for a break in traffic (as far as we could tell). Includes video.
Hooked turtle rescued: Park rangers hoisted the animal out of the water in a net & set about freeing the hook while onlookers snapped pictures (& took at least one video!). In the video you can hear an “awww” and one ranger advising people nobody is allowed to touch the endangered species. Well, except the authorized ranger helping it of course. 💚 (South Carolina)
Sea turtle releases
From barely alive to healthy enough for release: One lucky loggerhead marked World Turtle Day last week by going home. And that was quite a feat, considering it was near death when rescued back in December. Thank you, N.C. Aquarium! 💚 Includes video.
NOAA Galveston releases 11 sea turtles: The 10 Kemp’s ridley and 1 loggerhead stopped for photo ops before heading out to sea. Includes video. (Texas)
Turtle nesting & protecting eggs
The sand matters for sea turtle nests: And apparently the dark sand used to create dunes on 2 North Carolina beaches doesn’t provide the right conditions for successful incubation. So the area’s sea turtle protection team expects to be moving a lot of nests this year. ☹️
Snapping turtles get a little extra love in Rockland County, New York: Residents have put up a fence and created nesting mounds to encourage females to avoid crossing the road to lay eggs. And the county put up turtle crossing signs to remind drivers to slow down. 💚
Daylight sea turtle nesting: They usually nest at night, but this girl decided she wasn’t waiting for darkness. She went about her business in broad daylight on Memorial Day on Anna Maria Island. 💚 Includes pictures.
Turtle egg sniffing dogs? Yes! A new non-profit uses dogs to help find Kemp’s ridley nests so the Parks Service can mark them or move them as needed. For now K9’s 4 Conservation is just the founder & 2 dogs, but he’s hoping to expand by next season.
Alice wants her babies well protected: So she laid her eggs on the Police Department lawn. Isn’t that sweet? (Massachusetts)
Sad turtle news
RIP Hugo: The Tulsa Zoo’s alligator snapping turtle passed away recently. The zoo released a memorial video with zookeepers’ memories of him and a few pictures of the huge, 150-pound turtle.
What’s happening to Florida’s freshwater turtles? Softshell turtles & river cooters are dying in the St. Johns River watershed. Scientists are investigating, but so far they have no answers.
Crab trap slaughters diamondback terrapins: More than 80 dead terrapins lay scattered on a New Jersey beach on Memorial Day morning. Apparently they had been caught in a crab trap which washed ashore. Too bad it didn’t hit land before they drowned. ☹️ And this is completely preventable with turtle excluder devices.
Miscellaneous turtle news
Wisconsin wants to know where the turtles are: And the state DNR is asking you to help. All you need to do is report any turtle sightings, especially in roadways.
Jack & Jill reunited at last: Well, probably. Jack & Jill are Russian tortoises, and Jill got lost last fall. But when a Russian tort showed up one town over, her human dad went to see if it was her. He’s pretty sure it is (apparently the number of toes she has is weird), and she’s back home where she belongs.
Recent International Turtle News
We keep learning new things about sea turtles. And trying to protect them from our garbage … and from other humans who just want to profit from them.
And once in a while we even discover a new species!
Sea turtle stories
Sea turtles help keep seagrass meadows healthy: And not just by “pruning” them (eating them!). No, they (and dugong) also spread seeds between meadows. This increases genetic diversity, which is important for the survival of any population of plants or animals.
Conservationists worried about decline in sea turtle numbers at Nagapattinam beach: They’ve only released about 300-400 Olive ridley hatchlings this year. And around 200 Olive ridleys have been found dead along the coast. 😢
Meet Nocawe: This loggerhead is at Two Oceans Aquarium recovering from an infection. Learn about her rescue, transport, & how the Aquarium is helping her get healthy again. Includes pictures. (South Africa)
Baby loggerheads swim free: Watch the little guys hatching, swimming in tanks, & finally being placed carefully into the Eastern Australian Current. In about 16 years the survivors will be back. 💚 (Video)
Turtle tagging study proposed: An animal welfare association in west-central India has proposed tagging sea turtles to better understand their movements, which can help improve conservation. One question they hope to answer is whether there may be hatching or nursing grounds nearby.
Sea turtles & trash (again)
Divers free sea turtle trapped in fishing line & buoys … and promptly discover two more turtles tied together by plastic trash. They got those 2 freed as well. But humans … we need to do better! Wildlife should not be suffering because of our trash. Includes video of both rescues.
Baby sea turtle gets chance to grow up: Thanks to a caring family that found it & cut it free. Then set it free to go be a turtle. 💚 Includes video.
Thousands of volunteers clean up Hong Kong beaches: The clean-up efforts focused on “Turtle Cove,” a known sea turtle nesting ground. No nests have been found there in 6 years. But hopefully there’s still time to bring the turtles back.
Turtle trafficking
Turtle traffickers arrested: And officials seized 1899 turtles. Sadly, around 700 of the animals had died. 😢 Most of the turtles were hidden in crates in a truck also carrying fish. (eastern India)
Trafficking of Black Spotted Turtles “spiralling out of control”: A new study found more than 10,000 turtles seized in the 2 years from April 2014 to March 2016. Compare this to 2, 171 seized over six years from 2008 to 2014.
Other turtle stories
New turtle species described in Puerto Vallarta: The tiny little thing (10 cm tops!) has actually been known for at least 25 years. But scientists only just confirmed it is a different species from similar turtles in the area. And sadly, it’s already in danger of extinction. Scientists and locals have seen only a few of the animals.
Meet Seneca, the “loneliest turtle in Cootes Paradise”: She’s the only known sexually mature female Blanding’s turtle in the whole marsh. Apparently there’s a few boys around, but they don’t seem to be meeting up. ☹️ (Ontario, Canada)