Posted on: 2017-09-22 10:30:27

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Recent turtle news we found interesting. Did you miss any of these?

Stories include some good news for sea turtles and for the Sonoyta mud turtle. A couple of rescues, and a couple of releases. Plus terrapin harvesting ban in NY, a reminder about why turtle safe lighting is important, and more.

Recent Box Turtle News

No new boxie news for today, but we’re always suckers for baby boxies! Especially after how long the zoo has been trying. And learning more about them will hopefully help us protect them better.

So with that, we’re sharing these two stories again:

• The world has 2 more keeled box turtles! These Asian boxies are endangered & breeding them has been hard. These two were born at the Bristol Zoo, which has been trying for 12 years! (England)
• University of North Georgia studies Eastern box turtles: The project looks at the turtles’ home range and how they use their habitat.

Recent U. S. Turtle News

Witnessing the miracle of a turtle nest. Official protection for a little mud turtle. New York stops terrapin harvesting. These are just a few of the stories we found interesting lately.

The right place at the right time: Sometimes it just works out … you’re on the beach just as a big turtle climbs ashore to lay a nest. And the turtle patrol shows up with red flashlights so you can see the miracle. (Georgia) 🐢 💗 🐢

More good turtle news after Irma: The storm mostly missed Anna Maria Island, and there’s still a chance most of the remaining nests will still hatch.

Watch hatchlings happy to be home: Short video of some of the hatchlings Irma washed ashore. They spend their early years in the “weed line,” so that’s where they were released.

Sailor and Duncan go back home: The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center cared for the turtles until they were ready for release. Includes video. (North Carolina)

The Endangered Species Act now covers the Sonoyta mud turtle, along with a Hawaiian bird and a Southeast fish. This little turtle has only 5 small populations in Arizona and Mexico. Learn more about why this turtle is in trouble here.

Fish not biting? Go rescue a sea turtle! Although it wasn’t exactly their plan, that’s exactly what these fishermen did. And their reward—beyond the satisfaction of helping this amazing creature—was fish biting for the rest of the day! Includes video. (Martha’s Vineyard)

 

No more commercial terrapin harvesting in New York: These harvests were not sustainable. Now this little reptile will have a chance to survive in New York.

 

 

 

More evidence we’re polluting turtles to death: This time from the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport, Louisiana. Scientists there save sea turtles who’ve eaten plastic, and collect the bodies of those who’ve already died (52 already this year).

Shooting a tortoise is criminal mischief: Remember the story of the man who shot his neighbor’s tortoise? He faces criminal charges.

And remember to keep checking in on the Tour de Turtles! We’ve still got 40 days left in this fun but important project. 💗

 

 

Recent International Turtle News

We’ve found some cautiously good news for sea turtles, a reminder of the importance of turtle safe lighting on beaches, and more.

Lucky turtle: Lucky the campers found it and wanted to help. Also a cautionary tale about abandoning baited hooks. Includes pictures. (Ontario)

Encouraging sea turtle news: Conservation is working! The number of sea turtles worldwide is growing. But they’re not out of the woods yet. Far from it. They’re still endangered. And some populations have actually gotten smaller, even as overall numbers rise.

Turtle meat confiscated: It was to be shipped from Pakistan to Hong Kong. But somebody was suspicious and called the Sindh Wildlife Department to check it out. Happy smugglers were caught; sad turtles had to lose their lives.

Turtle’s cultural significance: This video shows how indigenous people in Australia’s Northern Territory understand protecting turtles for the future. Yes, they hunt turtles, but only take what they need.

That’s a huge turtle!: Sadly, the leatherback sea turtle was also dead. It’s the 2nd one to wash up on Spain’s Catalan coast in just a month. It will be autopsied. (includes video & picture)

A sad end for disoriented baby greens: The 60 (sixty!) hatchlings were confused by bright lights. Instead of heading out to sea, they headed for the roadway. And for 19 of them that meant death.  😢 Turtle safe lighting can prevent these tragedies. (Grand Cayman)

Joint conservation research on sea turtles: The Philippines and the U.S. want to team up to learn more about them and protect them. 💗

Young man saves baby green from drain: Irma washed hatchlings ashore all along her path. This poor thing ended up in a drain in Cayman, where the 7-year old found it. The Department of Environment came to get it and released it later.