The Toronto Zoo has released dozens of its endangered turtles into the wild at the Rouge National Urban Park for its 10th anniversary.
This year, the zoo freed 55 two-year-old turtles which brings their total number of Blanding’s turtles released over the last decade to over 650. This marks a major milestone for the zoo, as it works towards conserving the endangered species.
This is a collaborative initiative co-led by the zoo and Parks Canada, with support from the Ontario Power Generation.
The Blanding’s Turtle Head Start Program began after discovering that the Rouge National Urban Park did not have enough turtles to support a healthy population.
Now, the program releases two-year-old turtles each year to ensure they have enough strength in their new environment. The zoo says each June, eggs are collected from stable source populations somewhere in Ontario, incubated for about two months, and finally, upon hatching, the turtles spend their first year in the zoo’s Americas Pavilion where guests can visit them.
After their first birthday, they are then moved to the Wildlife Health Centre to spend their days swimming and sunning themselves under UV lights.
When the turtles turn two years of age, they are moved to the Wildlife Health Centre’s outdoor enclosures where they are acclimated to elements, such as daily weather changes, sounds, and sights, to prepare them for the release.
In order to keep track of the freed turtles, the zoo has implemented small radio transmitters on some of the turtles. The transmitters are attached to their shells and monitors their locations, movements, habitats and behaviour.
“This not only allows us to monitor their survival, but also provides invaluable information about their growth rates and how environmental factors like temperature and precipitation play a role in their behaviour. This is critical information for land managers, so they can create additional suitable wetland areas where aquatic animals can thrive,” the zoo explained.
To mitigate the threat of poaching, the zoo changes the location of its turtle release every year and details are kept exclusively private.
