Posted on: 2017-10-10 10:30:04

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It’s turtle news time. Have you seen these stories yet?

We didn’t find anything new on the box turtle front. But there’s lots of good sea turtle news … releases and hatchings and rescues. Plus poachers caught, conservation projects underway, and more.

Recent Box Turtle News

We haven’t found anything new about box turtles for today. But we still like these two stories we found last week.

• 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

We’ve found a few turtle releases, one final loggerhead nest hatches, and a call for volunteers in Vermont. Plus more.

Green sea turtle released off San Diego coast: The turtle was found in Dana Point Harbor in May. It was released farther south because the warmer waters and the southward current increase survival chances. 💗

Loggerhead nesting is done in Myrtle Beach: The last nest hatched last Tuesday. Story includes a short video of one hatchling coming out of its shell. 💗

Jail time for disturbing a sea turtle: It doesn’t sound like he hurt it, but he did lift it out of the water for no reason other than to take pictures of it. And knowingly disturbing a sea turtle is illegal in Florida.

Baby Diamondback Terrapins! There are 2 known nesting sites for these little guys in Rhode Island. University of Rhode Island students protected nests at one site, and their reward was 13 little hatchlings.

Bailey has left the building … errr, beach! It tool almost a year of rehab,but the loggerhead sea turtle was clearly happy to be heading home, according to Sea Turtle Recovery staff.

Volunteers needed for beach cleanup: If you’re near North Hero, Vermont, the Fish & Wildlife department needs your help. They’re clearing vegetation from nesting beaches to get everything ready for next year’s nesting season. It’s happening on October 21. (Bonus: Sometimes you find a few hatchlings still in the nests!).

Turtle conservation efforts in New York: The Turtles of Western Highway and other groups work tirelessly year-round to give local turtles a fighting chance at survival.

And a reminder about the Tour de Turtles and Leatherback Turtle Day:

• We still have 22 days to go in the Tour de Turtles!: Is your favorite turtle in the lead? Or at least catching up? Either way, this fun annual event has a serious side: It allows scientists to study the turtles’ movements and better understand how and where they live when they’re not nesting. Have you seen the recent Huffington Post story on the Tour? Read it here.
• Leatherback Turtle Day happens this Saturday, October 14: If you’re in or near Santa Cruz that day, stop in to the Sanctuary Exploration Center to celebrate. Remember to wear your best Leatherback turtle costume! (yes, really!).

 

 

Recent International Turtle News

There’s many different ways to protect turtles, as several of these stories show. 💗 But there’s not always an easy way to stop those who hurt turtles. ☹️ And proof that when a turtle wants something (like escape), nothing … nothing! … will stop it.

Kind man waters sea turtle all night: He and a friend rescued it when they saw it couldn’t dive. But there was no pond big enough to keep it until it could be taken to Reef HQ’s Turtle Hospital. So he kept it on his boat and kept it wet. 💗 (Queensland, Australia)

Students build turtle mounds: The mounds will give the turtles a safe place to lay their eggs. It’s part of a project to protect turtles by keeping them off the roadways (they like to lay eggs in the gravel shoulders).

Too many turtles falling victim to cars: It’s nesting season in Australia, and eastern long necked turtles are swarming Lawrence Road in Alumy Creek. Sadly, many get run over. On one recent day, a local resident found 9 dead. ☹️

A pair of very determined turtles! They climbed over a 6-foot fence to escape. And one remained on the lam for two years (and got a whole mile away)!

Protecting olive ridley turtles by legalizing egg harvests? It seems to be working in this Costa Rican village. Not perfectly, but working.

Turtle rescue was final piece of puzzle: He’s known for a long time he wanted to work in marine biology. Rescuing Chad the loggerhead sea turtle last year made everything click.

Malyasia’s turtle poaching problem: Sadly there’s no easy answer to stopping the illegal trade in turtles, turtle meat, and turtle eggs. ☹️

Turtle Islands Wildlife Sanctuary is shrinking: Specifically the islands of the sanctuary. Which means their beaches are also shrinking. Which is bad news for turtles, which nest on those beaches, especially green sea turtles. (Philippines)

Tripod is back at sea: Yes, the loggerhead sea turtle got her name because she’s missing a flipper. She spent a month in rehab healing from a wound on another flipper. (India)

1,012 turtles rescued from smugglers: The animals were destined to be “good luck charms” or food. One person has been arrested and more arrests are expected. (Bangalore, India)