<p>A Totally "Turtle" Summer!</p>
A Totally "Turtle" Summer!
For nearly 15 years, biologists at the Zoo de Granby have been developing a highly specialized expertise relating to the protection of one of our most endangered species: the spiny softshell turtle. This unique reptile is now found in only one area in Québec, the Lake Champlain region. And year after year our passionate conservationists have incubated dozens of eggs in our laboratory to protect them from external aggression and give them a better chance of survival.
And this year, a new, equally threatened species has benefited from the attention of our team of biologists: the wood turtle!
To the Rescue of the Spiny Softshell Turtle Since 2009
This is the Zoo’s longest-running conservation program, and the project’s results speak for themselves. Since the first time that eggs harvested in the wild were incubated in our laboratory, 2,337 small turtles have benefited from this life-saving operation and have been released back into the wild.
For a species with a population in Québec estimated at a hundred individuals, this is a great success which ensures that the little survivors have a better chance of reproducing one day!
However, incubating eggs inside a laboratory setting doesn’t just happen by magic! Precise temperature and humidity parameters are required, as well as a suitable substrate and a very precise protocol. In Québec, only experts, authorized by the ministry responsible, are allowed to collect turtle eggs and incubate them in a controlled environment with the aim of conserving and re-establishing the species. Therefore, this is definitely not something you should try at home!
How do you find a spiny softshell turtle nest?
It takes a LOT of patience! Biologists can sit motionless for days on end at their observation posts, scanning the shoreline, waiting for a turtle to appear, ready to lay eggs. Once the task has been completed, the turtle returns to the water and the biologist gently digs up the precious eggs on the beach. To learn the technique and give biologists a chance to practise, training is always given in the spring, before the egg-laying season by using buried … ping-pong balls!
By 2023, 12 nests have been collected and 227 eggs incubated, protected from the adversities brought on by Mother Nature and predators such as skunks and raccoons.
The success of this conservation program was once again showcased at the fifth edition of the Mikinak Festival in Pike River, entirely dedicated to the spiny softshell turtle!
More than forty small turtles were released back into the wild for the occasion by dozens of enthusiastic citizens!
The Wood Turtle on Our Biologists’ Radar
In the summer of 2023, the wood turtle was added to the list of conservation projects carried out by the Zoo’s biologists. From the middle of May onwards, cameras were installed at certain points along the Rivière le Renne in the MRC of Acton Vale to monitor egg-laying sites 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
On-site two days a week, biologists reviewed the recorded images and tried to find the nests. In all, 6 nests were identified and protected by anti-predator fencing. A total of 48 future small turtles were protected from danger by being able to complete the incubation process.
Considering that the population of this species is about 70 individuals, the initiative taken by our conservation team could have a huge impact on their long-term chances of survival!
Some photos of the Mikinak Festival
