Free as a Bird Turtle
Once upon a time, the western pond turtle (Emys marmorata) was commonly found from Baja California to the Puget Sound. But due to loss of habitat, disease, and non-native predators like bullfrogs and large-mouth bass, by 1990 these chelonians were nearly extinct in Washington State, with only 150 left in the wild. Now thanks to the Woodland Park Zoo, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Western Pond Turtle Recovery Project, there's a few more of these wee turtles in the wild.
Today, 53 western pond turtles were released into Pierce and Mason County wildlife refuge sites, the culmination of nearly a year's work to raise these little guys from babies to the 3 or 4 ounces they now weigh. The turtles were collected from the wild last fall as hatchlings, and raised at the Woodland Park Zoo, far away from all the nasty animals that like to eat babies. With all that TLC--not to mention healthy portions at dinnertime--these juveniles are now as big as wild 3-year-old turtles, which gives them a much better chance of long-term survival. (Another 50 pond turtles were released yesterday in the Columbia River Gorge.)
The Zoo's efforts at returning endangered species to their natural habitat will continue this weekend, when the snow leopard cubs make their public debut, and then are released into the wilds of Woodland Park.
