Posted on: 2017-10-06 10:30:50
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Turtle news we found interesting recently includes encountering box turtles in the wild, protecting snapping turtle eggs, and a royal turtle release.
Recent Box Turtle News
We found 2 stories that included box turtles recently. One about another study to count and track them. And 2 boxies were included in a recent list of reader submissions about wildlife encounters.
Surveying Eastern Box Turtles: A project in Massachusetts aims to find and track Eastern box turtles and wood turtles in the Memorial Forest Reservation in Sudbury.
Encountering wildlife: This rundown of encounters with wildlife in Virginia includes a box turtle stealing a meal and a pair of boxies just doing what comes naturally. Includes photos.
Recent U. S. Turtle News
Recent stories include celebrating the season with sea turtles, more efforts to ban wild turtle trapping, and concern over low hatching rates for leatherback eggs.
Snapping turtle released with just a warning 😉: The Decatur, Georgia resident found itself detained on the side of the road by a local police officer. The officer felt it was a danger to itself (wandering in the road) and children (it is a snapper!). So he took it home (a nearby habitat).
Decoy sea turtle eggs project wins award: We shared the story of GPS-enabled fake sea turtle eggs back on September 12. The intent is to learn where the poached eggs end up. The project has just been announced as one of three winners of the Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge. Way to go! 💚
Head to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center for Turtleween! It’s happening on October 28. Trick-or-treat with the sea turtles … what could be better?! 💚
He’s a snapping turtle daddy! It’s not usually recommended for an amateur to dig up & incubate turtle eggs. But this appears to have turned out better than letting them get eaten. And they’re adorable! Includes several videos.
Another turtle trapping ban? We can sure hope so! Missouri has just proposed banning commercial trapping of wild turtles.
Why aren’t leatherback eggs hatching? The females are laying eggs, but only about 55% are hatching in the US Virgin Islands. In 1990, it was 74% on the same beaches. 😞
Baby loggerhead crawls to the sea: The US turtle season is just about over, but some nests are still hatching. This little guy made his journey from nest to sea last Monday night at Garden City Beach in South Carolina. 💚 (includes video)
Scute has gone home: The 3-year-old green sea turtle has lived at the Riverbanks Zoo in South Carolina since he was a tiny hatchling. Now that he’s all grown, it was time for him to head out to sea.
And here’s your reminders for the Tour de Turtles and Leatherback Turtle Day:
There’s still 26 days left in the Tour de Turtles!: Do you have a favorite turtle? Is it in the lead?
Leatherback Turtle Day is coming up quick: If you’re near Santa Cruz, head to the Sanctuary Exploration Center on October 14. And be sure to wear your best Leatherback turtle costume! (yes, really!).
Recent International Turtle News
Rewards offered and arrests made in the turtle slaughter case in Sabah. Also promising recovery news for olive ridley sea turtle populations in Mexico and the Burmese Star Tortoise in Myanmar, plus more.
Man arrested in Sabah turtle slaughter: Authorities are also looking for other men believed to have taken part in the killing. (Warning: Story includes photo of the gutted turtles)
More arrests in the Sabah turtle slaughter case: Two more people have been arrested. Officials expect still more arrests soon.
Rewards offered for information on illegal activities with wildlife in Sabah: Sea Shepherd (a US-based non-profit) has previously offered a reward for information about the Sabah turtle slaughter. The Sabah state government is now offering rewards for evidence of any illegal activities.
Oman’s Ras Al Jinz Turtle Scientific Centre has reopened: The center has been renovated to upgrade its technology and systems, allowing researchers to learn more about local sea turtles.
Accountant turned sea turtle conservationist: He thought he wanted to be an accountant. But then he decided he wanted to do something more. And he discovered his “more” was saving Kenya’s sea turtles. 💚
Good news for olive ridley sea turtles: At least in Oaxaca. The number of olive ridleys laying eggs on Oaxaca beaches this year is 20% higher than last year. 💚
And even better news for the Burmese star tortoise: These pretty, football-sized animals were almost extinct just 13 years ago. But thanks to a captive breeding program begun in 2004, they’re making a strong comeback. The project started with fewer than 200 tortoises, and it now has some 14,000. Most are still in captivity, but about 1,000 have been released.
Allahabad is getting a turtle sanctuary: The city, in north India, sits on the Ganga and Yamuna rivers, where turtles & other aquatic life need protecting
A royal send-off for one lucky sea turtle: Prince Charles set the rehabilitated turtle down in the sand on Golden Bay beach in Malta, and away it went.
24,000 sea turtle eggs saved in Costa Rica []: Volunteers patrolling the beaches rescued 230 sea turtle nests, so poachers wouldn’t get them. Other volunteers continue to protect the eggs while they incubate. 💚
A slightly disoriented long necked turtle: It tried to make itself at home … in a home! The home’s residents decided it would feel more at home at a nearby lake. (Western Australia)