Midland Free Press, Orilla, Ontario, 9/30/11 by Gisele Winton Sarvis - Snapping turtles may go the way of the endangered spotted turtle if hunting them remains legal, says local naturalist Bob Bowles.
The snapping turtle has been listed as a species at risk since 2009, but the provincial government has not removed them from the legal hunting list. Snapping turtles can be taken with a daily limit of two and a possession limit of five by anyone with a valid sport or fishing licence.
"Some people spend their whole weekend going out with their bare hands and a knife in their teeth, jumping into ponds, grabbing a turtle and cutting its throat," Bowles said. "This is their weekend entertainment."
Bowles has recently started a petition demanding that turtle hunting be banned. The petition is available at Scales Nature Park, local conservation group offices and MPP Garfield Dunlop's office. The initiative has the backing of environmental heavyweights Ontario Nature and the David Suzuki Foundation.
The petition says "we the undersigned petition... that all hunting of snapping turtles, an Ontario and nationally listed species at risk, be banned under the Ontario Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act." It will be sent to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
Bowles believes that snapping turtles should have been removed from the list of hunt-able species when they were listed as a species at risk, but this has not happened.
The other problem with hunting turtles is that no one is keeping track of the numbers of turtles in a given area or the numbers of turtles hunted, so the impact to turtle populations is unknown.
"They keep track of numbers for moose, deer and wolves," Bowles said.
Even without hunting, turtle and amphibian numbers are diminishing because their wetland habitats continue to disappear with expanding urban development, Bowles said.
And thousands of turtles are killed each year in the province through road kill. Slow-moving turtles often seeking roadside sand banks to lay eggs cannot get out of the way fast enough to survive a fast-moving vehicle.
Some people intentionally run over turtles, said Bryna Belisle, special projects co-ordinator for Scales Nature Park in Orillia.
"A certain per cent of the population are going out of their way to hit turtles," she said, referring to a scientific study done in Long Point that proved this. Long Point has the highest turtle mortality caused by cars in the province.
Of the eight species of turtles that call Ontario home, seven of them are species at risk. Only the Midland painted turtle remains as a self-sustaining healthy population.
"There is still pressure on the species," Bowles said.
"Turtles have been on this planet for 300 million years and now they are having a hard time surviving."
The spotted turtle and the wood turtle are endangered. The softshell, stinkpot and Blanding's turtle are threatened species. The map turtle is listed as special concern.
"My biggest fear is than my grandkids will never see turtles," Bowles said.
It's not too late for the snapping turtle, said Jeff Hathaway, owner of Scales Nature Park in Oro-Medonte. He explained that the higher the population of a given species, the easier it is to rehabilitate. The lower the number of animals left of a species, the harder it is to bring them back.
"The overall numbers are going down, but there is still enough left to turn it around," he said.
What's needed to keep turtles alive and well is positive intervention from humans. The Ontario Multi Turtle Recovery Team is one organization helping turtles by working to maintain or rebuild wetlands, monitor turtle populations and promote awareness to educate people about the plight of these ancient animals.
Showing posts with label snapping turtle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label snapping turtle. Show all posts
Monday, October 24, 2011
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Animals most affected by Michigan oil spill? Turtles
MARSHALL, Mich. - It's easy to figure out which species is the dominant one at a wildlife rehabilitation center set up in the aftermath of the summer oil spill in southern Michigan.
Just read the small sign tacked to a temporary partition: "Welcome to Snapperville, a friendly suburb of Turtle Town."
Turtles make up close to 90% of the 2,300 animals captured and cared for since the late July oil spill that polluted the Kalamazoo River. And true to their history, the hard-shelled reptiles are proving to be resilient.
Rows of black rubber or gray steel bins at the center serve as temporary homes to turtles ranging from 6-ounce spotted turtles to 30-pound snappers.
Turtles ready for cleaning often are covered with mayonnaise to help loosen the coating of oil. They get detail work from a team of volunteers in white coats toiling under hot bright lights.
Toothbrushes and cotton swabs are among the most common tools used to clean black, hardened oil out of every nook and cranny.
About 99% of the turtles rescued have survived, a better rate than for birds and other wildlife contaminated by the pollution. Most of the turtles already have been cleaned, rehabilitated and returned to the wild in time for this winter's hibernation.
"It's just the way they're designed," Chris Tabaka, a veterinarian at Binder Park Zoo near Battle Creek, said Wednesday at the rehab center set up by Enbridge Inc. "They've been through some things. They've been through the dinosaur ages. They've lived through thick and thin. They're incredibly tough animals."
The types of turtles affected by the Michigan oil spill can live up to 50 or 100 years, depending on the species. The vast majority should have decades yet to live even after their brush with the spill of at least 820,000 gallons of oil near Marshall.
The rupture came on an Enbridge pipeline running from Griffith, Ind., to Sarnia, Ontario, in Canada. The pipeline has restarted, but cleanup and wildlife rehabilitation continues.
Roughly 300 turtles might remain in care at the rehab center all winter, depending on how many are discovered or released within the next few days.
The stragglers aren't yet strong, active or heavy enough to be released for the winter hibernation. The turtles probably will be kept warm indoors through the winter so caretakers can better monitor their health. Canada geese, ducks and muskrats are among the 36 species cared for after the oil spill. But turtles dominate the space inside the rehab center, which once served as a temporary administrative office and employee training center for a nearby casino.
Nearly 300 volunteers have been trained to clean animals, donating a combined 6,400 hours since the late July spill. That supports efforts from Enbridge contractor Focus Wildlife along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment.Ann Van Weelden, a volunteer, was cleaning her 129th turtle early Wednesday.
"I just really wanted to help in some way," she said.
HerpDigest Volume # 10 #44 10/20/10
Just read the small sign tacked to a temporary partition: "Welcome to Snapperville, a friendly suburb of Turtle Town."
Turtles make up close to 90% of the 2,300 animals captured and cared for since the late July oil spill that polluted the Kalamazoo River. And true to their history, the hard-shelled reptiles are proving to be resilient.
Rows of black rubber or gray steel bins at the center serve as temporary homes to turtles ranging from 6-ounce spotted turtles to 30-pound snappers.
Turtles ready for cleaning often are covered with mayonnaise to help loosen the coating of oil. They get detail work from a team of volunteers in white coats toiling under hot bright lights.
Toothbrushes and cotton swabs are among the most common tools used to clean black, hardened oil out of every nook and cranny.
About 99% of the turtles rescued have survived, a better rate than for birds and other wildlife contaminated by the pollution. Most of the turtles already have been cleaned, rehabilitated and returned to the wild in time for this winter's hibernation.
"It's just the way they're designed," Chris Tabaka, a veterinarian at Binder Park Zoo near Battle Creek, said Wednesday at the rehab center set up by Enbridge Inc. "They've been through some things. They've been through the dinosaur ages. They've lived through thick and thin. They're incredibly tough animals."
The types of turtles affected by the Michigan oil spill can live up to 50 or 100 years, depending on the species. The vast majority should have decades yet to live even after their brush with the spill of at least 820,000 gallons of oil near Marshall.
The rupture came on an Enbridge pipeline running from Griffith, Ind., to Sarnia, Ontario, in Canada. The pipeline has restarted, but cleanup and wildlife rehabilitation continues.
Roughly 300 turtles might remain in care at the rehab center all winter, depending on how many are discovered or released within the next few days.
The stragglers aren't yet strong, active or heavy enough to be released for the winter hibernation. The turtles probably will be kept warm indoors through the winter so caretakers can better monitor their health. Canada geese, ducks and muskrats are among the 36 species cared for after the oil spill. But turtles dominate the space inside the rehab center, which once served as a temporary administrative office and employee training center for a nearby casino.
Nearly 300 volunteers have been trained to clean animals, donating a combined 6,400 hours since the late July spill. That supports efforts from Enbridge contractor Focus Wildlife along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment.Ann Van Weelden, a volunteer, was cleaning her 129th turtle early Wednesday.
"I just really wanted to help in some way," she said.
HerpDigest Volume # 10 #44 10/20/10
Animals most affected by Michigan oil spill? Turtles
MARSHALL, Mich. - It's easy to figure out which species is the dominant one at a wildlife rehabilitation center set up in the aftermath of the summer oil spill in southern Michigan.
Just read the small sign tacked to a temporary partition: "Welcome to Snapperville, a friendly suburb of Turtle Town."
Turtles make up close to 90% of the 2,300 animals captured and cared for since the late July oil spill that polluted the Kalamazoo River. And true to their history, the hard-shelled reptiles are proving to be resilient.
Rows of black rubber or gray steel bins at the center serve as temporary homes to turtles ranging from 6-ounce spotted turtles to 30-pound snappers.
Turtles ready for cleaning often are covered with mayonnaise to help loosen the coating of oil. They get detail work from a team of volunteers in white coats toiling under hot bright lights.
Toothbrushes and cotton swabs are among the most common tools used to clean black, hardened oil out of every nook and cranny.
About 99% of the turtles rescued have survived, a better rate than for birds and other wildlife contaminated by the pollution. Most of the turtles already have been cleaned, rehabilitated and returned to the wild in time for this winter's hibernation.
"It's just the way they're designed," Chris Tabaka, a veterinarian at Binder Park Zoo near Battle Creek, said Wednesday at the rehab center set up by Enbridge Inc. "They've been through some things. They've been through the dinosaur ages. They've lived through thick and thin. They're incredibly tough animals."
The types of turtles affected by the Michigan oil spill can live up to 50 or 100 years, depending on the species. The vast majority should have decades yet to live even after their brush with the spill of at least 820,000 gallons of oil near Marshall.
The rupture came on an Enbridge pipeline running from Griffith, Ind., to Sarnia, Ontario, in Canada. The pipeline has restarted, but cleanup and wildlife rehabilitation continues.
Roughly 300 turtles might remain in care at the rehab center all winter, depending on how many are discovered or released within the next few days.
The stragglers aren't yet strong, active or heavy enough to be released for the winter hibernation. The turtles probably will be kept warm indoors through the winter so caretakers can better monitor their health. Canada geese, ducks and muskrats are among the 36 species cared for after the oil spill. But turtles dominate the space inside the rehab center, which once served as a temporary administrative office and employee training center for a nearby casino.
Nearly 300 volunteers have been trained to clean animals, donating a combined 6,400 hours since the late July spill. That supports efforts from Enbridge contractor Focus Wildlife along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment.Ann Van Weelden, a volunteer, was cleaning her 129th turtle early Wednesday.
"I just really wanted to help in some way," she said.
HerpDigest Volume # 10 #44 10/20/10
Just read the small sign tacked to a temporary partition: "Welcome to Snapperville, a friendly suburb of Turtle Town."
Turtles make up close to 90% of the 2,300 animals captured and cared for since the late July oil spill that polluted the Kalamazoo River. And true to their history, the hard-shelled reptiles are proving to be resilient.
Rows of black rubber or gray steel bins at the center serve as temporary homes to turtles ranging from 6-ounce spotted turtles to 30-pound snappers.
Turtles ready for cleaning often are covered with mayonnaise to help loosen the coating of oil. They get detail work from a team of volunteers in white coats toiling under hot bright lights.
Toothbrushes and cotton swabs are among the most common tools used to clean black, hardened oil out of every nook and cranny.
About 99% of the turtles rescued have survived, a better rate than for birds and other wildlife contaminated by the pollution. Most of the turtles already have been cleaned, rehabilitated and returned to the wild in time for this winter's hibernation.
"It's just the way they're designed," Chris Tabaka, a veterinarian at Binder Park Zoo near Battle Creek, said Wednesday at the rehab center set up by Enbridge Inc. "They've been through some things. They've been through the dinosaur ages. They've lived through thick and thin. They're incredibly tough animals."
The types of turtles affected by the Michigan oil spill can live up to 50 or 100 years, depending on the species. The vast majority should have decades yet to live even after their brush with the spill of at least 820,000 gallons of oil near Marshall.
The rupture came on an Enbridge pipeline running from Griffith, Ind., to Sarnia, Ontario, in Canada. The pipeline has restarted, but cleanup and wildlife rehabilitation continues.
Roughly 300 turtles might remain in care at the rehab center all winter, depending on how many are discovered or released within the next few days.
The stragglers aren't yet strong, active or heavy enough to be released for the winter hibernation. The turtles probably will be kept warm indoors through the winter so caretakers can better monitor their health. Canada geese, ducks and muskrats are among the 36 species cared for after the oil spill. But turtles dominate the space inside the rehab center, which once served as a temporary administrative office and employee training center for a nearby casino.
Nearly 300 volunteers have been trained to clean animals, donating a combined 6,400 hours since the late July spill. That supports efforts from Enbridge contractor Focus Wildlife along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment.Ann Van Weelden, a volunteer, was cleaning her 129th turtle early Wednesday.
"I just really wanted to help in some way," she said.
HerpDigest Volume # 10 #44 10/20/10
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)