Baby Endangered Western Pond Turtles on Exhibit at Oregon Zoo

By Bill LaMarche

Portland, OR - For almost a decade, the Oregon Zoo has been working to save endangered western pond turtles, rearing them in a protected environment until they are big enough to be released into the wild. Visitors can now view recent hatchlings - each a bit larger than a quarter - at the zoo's conservation station, located in the Cascade Stream and Pond Building.

Over the next nine months, zoo staff members will monitor and weigh the rare turtles as they grow. Once they reach a suitable size of about 70 grams, the turtles will be returned to the wild and monitored for safety.

"When we release the turtles, they're big enough that predators like non-native bullfrogs are no longer a threat," said David Shepherdson, the zoo's conservation program scientist. "The months the turtles spend at the zoo give them a real edge - scientists estimate that 95 percent of the turtles we've released into the Columbia River Gorge have survived."

Just a decade ago, western pond turtles had nearly disappeared from Washington, their native habitat, with only 150 turtles left in the wild. Today, researchers estimate there are about 1,400.

Habitat degradation and disease continue to endanger the species, but the biggest threat to fragile baby turtles is the bullfrog. Native to areas east of the Rockies, this nonindigenous frog has thrived throughout the West, driving pond turtles and a host of other small, vulnerable aquatic species to the brink of extinction.

The Western Pond Turtle Recovery Project, a collaborative effort of the Oregon Zoo, Woodland Park Zoo, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, was created to help restore the species in the wild.

Every summer, wildlife recovery workers monitor female turtles in the field to determine where they will dig their nests. Once the turtles have laid their eggs, workers cover the nests with wire "exclosure" cages that help prevent predators from eating the eggs. The eggs are then allowed to incubate naturally, and hatchlings are collected in the fall.

The hatchlings are barely the size of a quarter when they are taken to the Oregon Zoo and the Woodland Park Zoo. Unlike wild turtles, the zoo turtles are fed and kept warm throughout the winter, so by their summer release, the 10-month-olds are as big as wild 3-year-old turtles.

"We make sure our turtles can hold their own before releasing them into the wild," Shepherdson said.

The zoo is a service of Metro and is dedicated to its mission to inspire the community to create a better future for wildlife. Committed to conservation, the zoo is currently working to save endangered California condors, Washington's pygmy rabbits, Oregon silverspot butterflies, western pond turtles, Oregon spotted frogs and Kincaid's lupine. Other projects include studies on black rhinos, Asian elephants, polar bears and bats.

The zoo opens at 9 a.m. daily and is located five minutes from downtown Portland, just off Highway 26. The zoo is also accessible by MAX light rail line. Zoo visitors who travel to the zoo via MAX receive $1.50 off zoo admission. Call TriMet Customer Service, 503-238-RIDE (7433), or visit www.trimet.org for fare and route information.

General admission is $10.50 (ages 12-64), $9 for seniors (65 and up), $7.50 for children (ages 3-11) and free for those 2 and younger; 25 cents of the admission price helps fund regional conservation projects through the zoo's Future for Wildlife program. A parking fee of $2 per car is also required. Additional information is available at www.oregonzoo.org or by calling 503-226-1561.

Caption: Oregon Zoo visitors can now view western pond turtle hatchlings at the zoo's conservation station, located in the Cascade Stream and Pond Building. When the turtles are bigger, the zoo will release them in the Columbia River Gorge to help bolster wild populations of this endangered species. Photo by Michael Durham, courtesy of the Oregon Zoo.

Caption 2: A decade ago, Washington's rare western pond turtle was facing an uncertain future, teetering on the brink of extinction. Through the conservation efforts of the Woodland Park Zoo Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Oregon Zoo, the species is now recovering. Zoo-reared turtles are fed and kept warm throughout the cold winter months, so that by their summer release, the 10-month-old turtles are the size of 3-year-old turtles raised in the wild. Photo by Brock Parker, courtesy of the Oregon Zoo.

Oregon Zoo 4001 SW Canyon Rd. Portland, Oregon 97221 503-226-1561 www.oregonzoo.org  

To view Oregon Zoo's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to:  http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-382-Oregon_Zoo