Posted on: 2017-09-29 10:30:32
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Recent turtle stories we’ve found interesting. Have you seen these?
Stories include celebrating turtles, missing turtles, and releasing turtles.
Also stealing from turtle researchers (unsuccessfully!), poaching turtles, and yet another turtle vs plastic story. 😠 Plus more.
Recent Box Turtle News
Running across a turtle in the wild is always a thrill. Sadly, the thrills have gotten fewer and far between.
- A tale of two turtles: Most specifically, a box turtle and a snapping turtle. Each apparently using the same Pennsylvania yard for its own purposes.
- Missing box turtles in Indiana: The author used to see them everywhere. These days they’re a rare sight. Help them if you can!
Recent U. S. Turtle News
Recently we’ve found stories about banning the collection of wild turtles … and Arkansas may join other states in that effort. We also have a few reports about how nests are doing after the hurricane(s), and more.
Will Arkansas ban wild turtle trapping? The Center for Biological Diversity and other environmental organizations in the state sure hope so.
Turtlemania celebration supports turtle research and conservation: It happened at The County Line, a restaurant on Bull Creek in Austin, Texas.
After 2 years of rehab, Tucker’s back home: Do you remember him? In late 2015 he stranded in Oregon, suffering from cold shock. He also had air in his gut, so he couldn’t dive. But he’s swimming and diving just fine now, somewhere off the coast of Mexico. 💗
The Turtle Hospital doesn’t let hurricanes stop it from its mission: And that mission is helping sick and injured turtles in Marathon, Florida. It’s been dedicated to that mission since 1986. 💗
Irma was mostly kind to nests on Anna Maria Island: Because it didn’t leave a lot of standing water on the island, embryos & hatchlings weren’t as likely to drown in the nests.
But Irma, Jose, and Maria combined were less kind: Thousands of sea turtle nests in Palm Beach County won’t be hatching this year. Luckily, it’s been a record nesting year so even with the losses it’ll still be a good year.
And green sea turtle nests are still waiting to hatch! They nest later than other sea turtles, so there are still plenty of nests out there. But the storms may have washed away markings, so we don’t know where they are.
Florida Leatherbacks has their ATVs back: The small research group uses them to find nesting leatherback turtles on Martin County (Florida) beaches. Luckily the thieves weren’t too good at hot-wiring, and a neighbor spotted the ATVs just down the street.
And we want to remind you about these two things:
- Keep checking in with the Tour de Turtles!: We’ve still got 33 days to go! Do you have a favorite turtle? Where has it “checked in”?
- Head to the Sanctuary Exploration Center for Leatherback Turtle Day: It’s happening at on October 14. If you’re in or near Santa Cruz, check it out. And be sure to wear your best Leatherback turtle costume! (yes, really!). 😮
Recent International Turtle News
Poaching is still big business. 😠 But at least one man chose freedom for the turtle over cashing in for himself. 💚 We also have many more people protecting eggs & hatchlings. Plus some releases, a fundraiser for a snapper, and more.
450 kg of turtle meat confiscated: Five fishermen have been detained. (French Polynesia)
Surfing Turtle Lodge is a hostel and turtle hatchery: This unique hostel on Nicaragua’s northwest coast has been saving sea turtles since 2009. Guests help with releases. And funding comes completely from guest donations and Lodge profits.
Baby green sea turtles on Borneo’s Libaran Island: A team of rangers relocates and protects green sea turtle nests. Then they wait and watch, expectantly, for the babies to emerge. 💚
Sally the loggerhead gets a naval escort home: She spent a few months recovering from a shark attack in which she lost a flipper. But now she’ll be heading back to Spanish waters, with temperatures more suited to her. (County Kerry, Ireland)
Flatback turtle hatchlings protected on their way to the sea: Volunteers follow behind them to make sure they get where they’re going. The waiting list to be one of those volunteers is at 3000! (Northern Territory, Australia)
A fundraiser for a snapping turtle? Why yes. Why not? Sonic’s tank at Wye Marsh Wildlife Center broke & his temporary home is too small for him. So a local musician who used to work with the turtle has organized a concert fundraiser. (Midland, Ontario)
Students building nesting mounds for Blandings turtles: They’re also helping with shore cleanup, water monitoring and more in the La Vase Portages Conservation Area. (Ontario, Canada)
Malta commemorates a memorable day: On September 27, 2016 the first sea turtle nest in a generation hatched at Golden Bay.
Doing the right thing earns a reward: A water rescue team in China accidentally caught a huge softshell turtle. Despite offers to buy it (for a lot of money), the patrolman released it. A local businessman was then moved to make a donation to the team.
Plastic kills another turtle: The Hawksbill turtle had eaten more than 1 litre of plastic. Vets at Auckland Zoo gave it intensive care, but that much plastic was just too much for the poor animal to recover from. 😢 (New Zealand)
More tunnels for turtles: More and more communities are seeing the value in keeping turtles & other wildlife off roads. This one is in Bruce Peninsula National Park and is aimed at protecting snapping turtles and Massasauga rattlesnakes. More are planned for the area. (Ontario, Canada)
Yoshi is going home after 21 years: For more than 2 decades she has called Two Oceans Aquarium home. But she’s now sexually mature and ready to go make more loggerhead babies to help her species survive. 💗 (Cape Town, South Africa)