Ontario's major turtle trauma
centre is declaring a state of emergency after taking in nearly 600 injured
turtles this year.
The hospital at the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre is
bursting with the number of turtles it's trying to rehabilitate.
Turtle surgeon Sue
Carstairs spends most of her days operating on dozens of turtle
shells that have been crushed by cars.
"We are beyond maximum
caring capacity ... we've never seen it this busy," said the veterinarian
and executive director of the centre, based in the Kawartha area in
central Ontario.
"We've had double the number
of admissions. We're not sure why.”
It could be because the rainy
weather across Ontario is ideal for the cold-blooded creatures, according
to Carstairs.
"This year we're seeing the
turtles on the move more than last year," she said, adding that the
centre will continue to keep taking in turtles despite the influx.
In addition to habitat
destruction, Carstairs said vehicles are a top threat to the province's
turtles.
"Most of the ones that come
into our hospital are injured on the road," Carstairs said.
"Most have very severe
fractures of their shell. There is a lot of head trauma too, especially in
species like snapping turtles that can't hide in their shell."
The high number of turtle
injuries is concerning for Carstairs, since seven of
Ontario's eight species of turtles are considered species
at risk.
"Every adult is vital,"
she said.
"They take up to 20 years to
reach maturity. So they need to live a long, long time to even have a chance of
replacing themselves in the population."
“Highway shoulders perfect for
turtle nurseries”
New road developments may also be
contributing to turtle injuries, according to Amy Henson, a biologist with
Science North in Sudbury, Ont.
"Right now is the time of
year we're going to see a lot of turtles. They're out there laying
eggs," she said.
"Coincidentally, highway
shoulders are one of the best place for turtles to lay their eggs, because
they're soft, gravelly, and very warm.”
Henson said turtles have been
around for millions of years, which means they aren't going to quickly adapt to
new roadways.
The Ministry of Natural Resources
and Forestry has set up turtle underpasses in new road
developments, including Highway 69, south of Sudbury.
Henson said it's likely there
aren't more turtles being injured, but that more people are helping them.
"The conservation centres
are getting a lot of turtles because people care about them so much. And I
think that's a real win on conservation behalf," she said.
Move turtle, then take selfie
"Just make sure you're
pointing him in the same direction as when he started, and take him off the
road two metres.”
Henson added
that people should move the turtle quickly, rather than picking it up and
posing for a photo op.
"That can confuse the turtle
and get him all turned around," she said.
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