Releasing endangered turtles in Fraser Valley
Posted onOctober 19, 2022byWildlife Preservation Canada|Fraser Valley Wetlands, Freshwater Turtles, News and Events, Western Painted Turtle
What is the Western Painted Turtle Recovery Program? In the wetlands of B.C.’s Fraser Valley, western painted turtles face many challenges, especially as eggs and tiny hatchlings. With no shortage of hungry predators and no care from their parents once they’ve hatched, only a few young turtles survive to become adults. When you add human activity to the mix, the rate of survival can be so low that a population becomes unsustainable. Since 2012, we’ve been working to improve those odds. In addition to protecting nests, we collect eggs from vulnerable turtle nests, artificially incubate them and head-start new hatchlings before releasing them back into the wild.
In 2022, WPC released 181 juvenile western painted turtles from the overwintering tanks located at the facility where WPC works at the Greater Vancouver Zoo. Releasing these turtles to the wild when they are at an age and size to have the best chance of survival will be make a significant impact to the return of the species in BC.
Western painted turtle eggs were rescued, hatched, and reared in a specially designed facility before being returned to suitable habitat in the wild. Beginning with fewer than 20 individuals during the 1st year of the project in 2011, this program has expanded to allow us to release around 200 young each year to bring back painted turtle populations in the Fraser River Valley, BC.
Recent articles on the project
We need your help