Posted on: 2018-11-02 10:30:52
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Recent turtle news we found interesting.
A lost box turtle gets a new home.
Cold stunning season is here. And if you’re a pilot you might be able to help.
More turtle traffickers caught. Some with turtle parts, other with live turtles.
The news on Sweet Pea is, well, sweet. And so are those new Virginia license plates.
Plus more.
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Recent Box Turtle News
Just one box turtle story this week, but it’s a nice one.
Patricia settles down after her 15 minutes of fame: The ornate box turtle found herself guest-starring on a morning show in Laredo, Texas after the show’s producer found her wandering around outside. She’ll now call the Lamar Bruni Vergara Science Center home. Includes video.
Recent U. S. Turtle News
With the weather getting colder, turtle news in the US is slowing down. But these chilly temperatures do mean turtles that didn’t head for warmer waters soon enough will be in trouble. 🙁
In happier news, Sweet Pea is doing much better, and one lucky tortoise got to meet a speed champion. Plus more.
2 ways to help turtles
If you’re a pilot on the East coast or you live in Virginia, you might be interested in these
It’s that time of year again: Cold stunning season. And that means cold-stunned sea turtles will need transportation to the various turtle rehab centers that can help them. So Turtles Fly Too is making its annual request for pilots to sign up as volunteer transporters.
Get a sea turtle on your Virginia license plate: The plate will support the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, if approved. If you’d like one, help them reach 450 pre-sold plates so it can be approved.
Sea turtle releases
Sweet Pea is back home: No, not in the ocean (she’s not releasable). She’s back home in her tank at the Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center after 3 months getting treatment at Gulf World Marine Institute for digestion issues. Includes video.
2 loggerheads are back home: They spent almost a year at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center, and on Wednesday they got their freedom. (Florida)
Other turtle news
He had 20 pounds of turtle meat: Green sea turtle meat, that is. 🙁 It apparently came from 2 turtles. He faces up to a year in jail and a $50,000 fine. (Louisiana)
Houston Zoo slowly eliminates single-use plastics: First it was plastic bags, then water bottles, and now plastic straws. The zoo is proud of its efforts to protect & rehabilitate sea turtles, and it wants to do its part to avoid harming them. It also encourages us all to take similar small steps to make a big impact together.
Tortoise meets champion sprinter: And gets a quick trip out of a busy intersection to safety. Includes video. (Florida)
Recent International Turtle News
People just can’t seem to leave turtles (and other rare wildlife) alone. We’re always happen when they get caught. But sad when it was too late to save the animals.
In other news the number of turtles in the annual arribada has been going up (conservation works!). The world has one more protected wetland reserve. And one more baby black marsh turtle too. Plus more.
But first, can you help?
The Canadian Sea Turtle Network looking for volunteers: The organization needs more people in Nova Scotia & New Brunswick to patrol beaches looking for cold-stunned turtles.
Turtle trafficking & theft news
Sea turtle theft video prompts quick action: The video showed a man in Nicaragua plucking the turtle from the water & carrying it off the beach. It outraged social media users, which helped turtle protection group Paso Pacifico raise enough funds to hire 2 more people to patrol area beaches.
2 sea turtles rescued from car: Police thought something was not right with the vehicle. And they were right. Two sea turtles were tied up inside. 🙁 Includes picture.
Another turtle smuggler caught: This one in Vietnam. He had 24 turtles & 5 pangolins. They will hopefully get released back to the wild.
More on turtles & pangolins: Officials in Pakistan seized turtle meat & pangolin scales from a market. 🙁
A year in prison for possession of green turtle shells: Plus a fine (or an extra 3 years in jail). Hopefully some day people will decide trafficking in turtle parts isn’t worth it. Sadly that day has not yet come.
Turtle rescue news
Loggerhead sea turtle rescued off Malta: The turtle had both eaten and gotten tangled in ocean garbage. She needed surgery to get it all out safely. Nature Trust Malta is concerned it’s running out of room for all the sick & injured turtles. 🙁
This Asian softshell turtle got to go home: Rangers saved it from a trafficker recently and released it into a protected area. Includes video. (Cambodia)
Thousands more radiated tortoises seized in Madagascar: This seizure, of more than 7,000 tortoises, happened near where 10,000 were found back in April. The Turtle Survival Alliance is helping coordinate care for these new animals too.
Turtle conservation news
Arribada numbers show conservation is working: A record number of olive ridley sea turtles nested on the Pacific coast of Mexico last year. They’re still in danger, but the news is good. It also gives us incentive to keep protecting them so hopefully they can truly recover.
Bristol Zoo Gardens welcomes black marsh turtle: It’s part of a breeding program and the 1st one hatched at the zoo in a decade. Includes picture. (England)
The wrong way to do a hatchling release: These releases can be valuable public education and outreach tools. Sadly this release did not follow conservation best practices. And it was only educational in showing what not to do. Ironically the release kicked off a marine conservation event, Our Ocean Conference 2018.
A new protected wetland nature reserve comes to United Arab Emirates: It’s in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, and is home to green turtles, hawksbills, and hundreds of other marine species.
It’s hard to be a baby sea turtle in Myanmar: It’s actually hard anywhere, but this story focuses on the dangers they face on Myanmar’s beaches.
Other turtle news
Please don’t just dump your tortoise: Especially when it’s not native to the area. Luckily for this little one, a kind lady found it (in a box!) and kept it safe until an animal collection officer could pick it up. Includes pictures. (England)
Investigating Facebook turtle egg post: Authorities are looking into the post about cooking turtle eggs, made to the Facebook account of a former mayor in the Philippines. She says her account was hacked.
Stop painting turtles please! The trend has been popular in mainland China for a while, but it has recently spread to Hong Kong. Animal lovers are hoping to stop it.
Bells ring in the season on Mon Repos: Turtle season, that is. Turtle center staff saw the season’s first nesting loggerhead Monday night.