Posted on: 2018-10-26 10:30:49
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Recent turtle news you may have missed.
A box turtle is healing nicely.
Sadly sea turtles lose a nesting island. And possibly other nesting beaches too.
But the Manning River turtles have lots of supporters.
Plus more.
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Recent Box Turtle News
We only found one boxie story this week, but it’s a good one!
Remember the Eastern box turtle who’s been rolling around on a custom-built Lego wheelchair? He’s out of the wheelchair & ready for brumation! (that’s like hibernation, but for reptiles). Check out the video of zoo staff taking off the wheelchair & him getting his first taste of his big, roomy brumation box … I bet he loves that huge pile of leaves, perfect for burrowing! 😊
Video is from the Maryland Zoo’s Facebook page.
Recent U. S. Turtle News
Sad news for sea turtles, as stranded turtles in Texas will have one less place to go. And Hawaii’s green sea turtles may have to find a new place to nest.
On the bright side, a rare sea turtle nest in Delaware hatched successfully, and baby sliders in Virginia found new homes.
Plus more.
Turtle conservation news
Will Arkansas ban commercial turtle harvests? Other states have done it. But Arkansas is apparently not willing to go that far yet. It will do more studies & add some regulations for now.
But what will happen to turtles stranded on the Texas coast now? NOAA’s Galveston Lab is getting out of the turtle rescue business. Hopefully one or more of its partners in turtle rescue will be able to take over.
Sea turtle rescue news
Season’s 1st cold-stunned turtles arrive on Cape Cod: It’s early for cold-stunning season, but Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary rescued 4 stranded turtles earlier this week.
Saving one of Hawaii’s hawksbill sea turtles: The hawksbill population around Hawaii (and everywhere) needs all the help it can get. So when one of them stranded on O’ahu in July it was all hands on deck to get it healthy again.
Sea turtle nesting news
Sea turtle nesting island vanishes: Earlier this month Hurricane Walaka drowned East Island, a tiny bit of land in the Hawaiian chain. Scientists don’t know when or if the island—important for Hawaiian green sea turtle and monk seal nesting—will re-emerge. 😥
Fenwick Island’s sea turtle nest hatched! Back in July we shared news that a loggerhead sea turtle had nested there, which is very rare (sea turtles don’t normally nest in Delaware). The DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife recently shared the news that the nest hatched successfully in September, and 48 little hatchlings made their debut. 💚 Good luck little ones!
Hurricane Michael’s possible effects on loggerhead sea turtles: The good news is most nests had hatched before the storm hit. But did it damage the beaches too much for turtles to nest there next year? (Florida)
Other turtle news
Tiny sliders snapped up quickly: Richmond Animal Care & Control seized 50 baby red-eared sliders from a Burger King parking lot where they were for sale illegally. It only took a few hours for turtle lovers to adopt them all! Includes pictures. (Virginia)
A sustainable turtle attraction coming to SeaWorld San Antonio: It will mimic their natural environment, with fish, artificial wetland for filtration, and more. It should open next year.
Recent International Turtle News
The Manning River turtle project is a go! Plastic Free Cayman expands. And the Turtle Whisperer loves his job.
But it’s not all good news. There’s a fungus that attacks turtle eggs. And people still insist on eating turtle eggs.
Plus more.
Turtle conservation & protection news
Manning River turtle project crowdfunding a success: The campaign reached its funding goal & started work on a breeding facility at the Australian Reptile Park right away. They plan to start collecting turtles soon to get their “insurance population” going. Includes video. 💚 (New South Wales)
The Flatback Turtles are nesting: These turtles are threatened. So night-time access to Cable Beach is restricted. Includes picture. (Western Australia)
Yet another threat to turtle survival: A plant fungus can infect eggs in the nest & kill the embryos. 😥 This report is from Malaysia, but the same fungus has previously been found in other countries.
Plastic Free Cayman jumps islands: Its 1st beach cleanup on Cayman Brac inspired a local woman to lead future efforts on the island. She wants to keep nesting beaches clean. Includes video.
Meet the Jamaica Inn’s turtle whisperer: The resort’s water sport manager also watches over the sea turtle nests on its beach. He inspects every nest & makes sure the hatchlings get to the water. 💚 And guests get to watch nests hatch.
Trapped olive ridley rescued: It was trapped in a fishing net but didn’t look hurt. It got a tag & went back out to sea.
Turtle smuggling/theft & egg poaching news
Turtle smuggling operation busted: Apparently officials discovered the ring after an August seizure of rare turtles in Bhopal. 😥 Good for them for following up. 💚(India)
Put that turtle down! A man hoisted an olive ridley sea turtle on his shoulders and walked off the beach with it. 😠 Video. (Mexico)
Man housed 5 different turtle species illegally: He was found with a leopard tortoise in his car back in April. Four other turtles were at his home. He has been fined for 3 of them.
Please don’t eat the turtle eggs! Any turtle eggs. But if you do, please post pictures of your crime to social media so we may all know who you are. And hopefully you can be charged with poaching (the stealing kind, not the cooking kind). Yes, it looks like someone really posted pictures of cooking turtle eggs … 😠