Posted on: 2019-03-08 10:30:29

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Recent turtle news we found interesting.

With sea turtle nesting season returning to the US, it’s time for reminders about keeping beaches safe for moms & babies alike.

Meanwhile nesting & hatching continues in other parts of the world, too.

There’s also some interesting work studying DNA from sea turtle nests, and promising results from a study on adding lights to gillnets.

But it’s not all about sea turtles. We also found stories on the Sulawesi Forest Turtle, Blanding’s turtles, and giant turtles.

Plus more.

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Recent Box Turtle News

We didn’t find any Asian or American box turtles in the news this week. Luckily we can always manage to come across a picture or 2 to keep us happy.

Like this little cutie posing for a picture.

Recent U. S. Turtle News

Sea turtle nesting season is back! And speaking of nests, the DNA in them has been helping researchers learn more about the turtles.

Also, one US zoo is having good success at breeding an Indonesian turtle, plus more.

Sea turtle news

Remembering sea turtle rescues & releases: StarNews Online takes a look at some of the loggerhead rescue & release stories it’s covered. Includes pictures. (North Carolina)

Sea turtle nesting season has arrived in Florida: And this is the 1st of your periodic reminders about helping keep the turtles safe. Of course the advice applies to sea turtle nesting beaches anywhere, not just in Florida!

An award for loggerhead sea turtle DNA fingerprinting: The University of Georgia project has been using nest DNA to match nests with moms & learn more about the turtles. Over the years they’ve “fingerprinted” more than 68,500 nests!

North Carolina is about to get an official saltwater reptile?! If the bill passes, then yes. And it’ll be the loggerhead sea turtle!

Miscellaneous turtle news

Have you ever heard of the Sulawesi Forest Turtle? Up until 25-ish years ago nobody had. But almost as soon as it was discovered on a single island in Indonesia it was considered critically endangered. Riverbanks Zoo in South Carolina is one of the few places that has successfully bred them to help ensure their survival. 💚

Probation for 2 turtle smugglers: The father & son apparently had very small roles in the much larger international operation. (South Carolina)

Trash cans for fishing line: Well, not cans exactly. But containers where you can deposit used fishing line so it doesn’t endanger wildlife, especially turtles & birds. These are getting more common, but aren’t yet common enough.

 

 

Recent International Turtle News

Protecting turtles from poachers, habitat destruction, & more can seem like a never-ending battle. But that isn’t stopping people from doing their best.

Unfortunately, poachers and just-plain-thieves still manage to do their thing. 😡

But first, some welcome news from the Galapagos …

Giant turtles get their freedom on Oon Santa Fe Island: One of the Galapagos Islands, Oon Santa Fe is undergoing ecological restoration. The turtles are part of that effort. 💚

Sea turtle nesting & conservation news

Surprise nest on isolated beach: It’s not one of the Olive ridley’s usual nesting beaches, but one female decided to take a chance on it anyway. (western India)

Saving Kenya’s sea turtles: As in many places the turtles nesting on Kenya’s beaches are in danger from poachers. Conservationists try to protect them & recruit local fishermen to help. Short video.

The UAE has a new plan to protect its marine turtles: The plan includes research & monitoring as well as preventing deaths from things like fishing nets & other debris and stopping the destruction of their habitats.

Leatherback nest hatches on Phangnga: Four of the hatchlings are getting a bit of care before heading out to sea. Includes videos. (Thailand)

Inexpensive lights can save sea turtles: No, we’re not talking about replacing street lamps this time. These lights attach to gillnets and stop turtles from getting tangled in the nets. In tests nets without lights caught 2x as many turtles as those with lights. 😮

Other turtle news

1500 turtles stuffed in luggage: And abandoned in the airport.  😡 Some of the poor things were duct-taped. They were also mixed in with regular luggage items, including cookies! Includes pictures & video. (Philippines)

Our environment really is all interconnected: Like when Blanding’s turtles apparently rely on habitats created by beaver dams! And destroying those dams threatens the turtles’ survival. That’s why coming up with ways to keep landowners, beavers, and turtles happy is so important. (Canada)

Who stole Ben & Bill? The 2 turtles were pets at an early childhood centre. But someone recently broke in after closing & whisked them away. 😥 (New Zealand)