Woodland Park Zoo Press Release

What:
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will deliver nests containing western pond turtle hatchlings to Woodland Park Zoo. The hatchlings, about the size of a quarter, are from nests in Pierce County and will join 36 hatchlings at the zoo, also collected from the wild, to begin their “head starting” program.

Photo: Ryan Hawk

The hatchlings will be housed off exhibit at the zoo where they will reside throughout the winter where they can grow in safety. They will be released back into the wild next summer.

When:
Thursday, October 12, 2:00 p.m.

Where:
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists and Woodland Park Zoo staff.

Who:
Behind the scenes at Woodland Park Zoo. Meet at the ARC near the West Entrance at N. 55th St. & Phinney Ave. N. The ARC is a locked building; PR staff will escort you. If late, call the media cell at 206.349.3533 or enter through the West Entrance.

Who:
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists and Woodland Park Zoo staff.

Info:
Head starting and reintroducing the turtles into the wild is part of the Western Pond Turtle Recovery Project – a long-term collaborative effort among Woodland Park Zoo, Oregon Zoo, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – to prevent the species’ extinction.

Wildlife biologists collect the nests from wild sites in Pierce and Mason Counties and the Columbia Gorge. The newly hatched turtles are then “head started” at Woodland Park and Oregon Zoos to improve their chance of survival in the wild.

Conservation specialists have observed nests of the endangered turtles at the sites since the eggs were laid in early summer. Under the supervision of District Wildlife Biologist Kelly McAllister, adult female western pond turtles were trapped and fitted with transmitters, then monitored every couple of hours during nesting season to determine their egg-laying locations.

Once the eggs had been laid and the nest covered up by the turtles, the scientists stepped in to protect the nest with wire “exclosure” cages to help prevent predators from dining on the eggs. Shortly after hatching, the babies were gathered and taken to the zoos. When the juvenile turtles have grown large enough to avoid being eaten by pond predators, they will be returned in the summer to their birthplace.

Some of the juvenile turtles are equipped with radio transmitters before release so biologists can learn more about post-release dispersal, habitat use during active and hibernation periods and, ultimately, their survival rate.

Ten years ago, western pond turtles were on the verge of completely dying out in Washington, with only about 150 turtles left in the wild. Habitat degradation and disease decimated their numbers, but the biggest threat is non-native bullfrogs and largemouth bass. This past summer, 34 turtles were released into sites in Western Washington and 80 in the Columbia River Gorge. The recovery effort has brought the population up to more than 1,000 western pond turtles in Washington state.

The Western Pond Turtle Recovery Project is under the auspices of Woodland Park Zoo’s Partners for Wildlife conservation initiative, an expansion of the zoo’s efforts and resources in proven wildlife conservation projects. The zoo currently partners with 37 field conservation projects in more than 25 countries around the world. For more information about Woodland Park Zoo’s conservation efforts, visit the Conservation section of the zoo's Web site.

Accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, award-winning Woodland Park Zoo is famed for pioneering naturalistic exhibits and setting a standard for zoos all over the world. With conservation, education and excellent animal care at the core of the zoo’s mission, the zoo is helping to save endangered species in Washington state and around the world including tree kangaroos, snow leopards, red-crowned cranes, African wild dogs, western pond turtles and Oregon silverspot butterflies. By inspiring visitors and others to care and act, Woodland Park Zoo is making a difference in our planet’s future.