Pond
turtles "graduate" into the wild
For
nearly 20 years, Woodland Park Zoo has been helping
the endangered western pond turtle get a "headstart" on
life. This Northwest native was nearly extinct in 1990
with only about 100 or so individuals existing in scattered
ponds in Washington state. The zoo's former reptile
curator, Frank Slavens, and his wife, Kate, came to the
rescue
and, along with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife
and
Oregon Zoo, to begin a project that headstarted tiny
hatchlings at both zoos until large enough to elude
predators. Since
then, the population has grown to around 1,500 in protected
ponds in southwestern Washington and along the Columbia
River. This video presents this year's batch of hatchlings
as they begin their journey back into the wild. |
