Woodland Park Zoo Helps Washington Pond Turtles Beat The Odds

By Gigi Allianic

Seattle, WA - Spring may be behind us, but pipping and hatching are still happening at Woodland Park Zoo where approximately 95 rare western pond turtles have hatched. The hatchlings, about the size of a quarter, were from nests collected from wild refuge sites in Pierce County and the Columbia River Gorge. More eggs remain at the zoo in incubation.

As part of the Western Pond Turtle Recovery Project, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) round up and deliver hatchlings, or nests, each season to Woodland Park and Oregon Zoos to improve the turtles’ chance of survival in the wild. The zoos head start and nurture the newly hatched turtles for about 10 months when they are large enough to escape the large mouths of bullfrogs. The hatchlings are housed off exhibit where they reside throughout the winter where they can grow in safety. They will be released back into the wild next summer.

The Western Pond Turtle Recovery Project is a long-term collaborative effort among Woodland Park Zoo, Oregon Zoo, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to prevent the species’ extinction.

 Western pond turtles were once common from Baja, Calif. to Puget Sound, including the Columbia River Gorge. However, loss of habitat, disease and predation by non-native species such as bullfrogs decimated their numbers. They were on the verge of extinction in Washington in 1990, with only about 150 turtles left in the wild. The state listed the species as endangered in 1993.

Habitat degradation and disease still are problems, but the biggest threat to fragile baby turtles is the bullfrog. The non-native bullfrog, native to areas east of the Rockies, has thrived throughout the West, driving pond turtles and a host of other small, vulnerable aquatic species to the brink of extinction.

To help restore these rare pond turtles to their natural habitat, recovery workers take to the field each year. Transmitters are attached on adult female western pond turtles and the turtles are monitored every two hours during the nesting season to determine their nesting

sites. The nests are protected with wire “exclosure” cages to help prevent predators from eating the eggs. In the fall, the eggs or newly hatched turtles are collected and taken to the zoo facilities. Unlike wild turtles, zoo turtles are fed throughout the winter, so by their summer release, the 10 month olds are approximately as big as 3-year-old turtles that grew up in the wild.

The goal of the recovery project is for enough young turtles to survive in the wild without head starting, but as long as the non-native bullfrog poses a threat, the head starting programs at the zoos are critical to establishing new populations.

The Western Pond Turtle Recovery Project is one of Woodland Park Zoo’s Partners for Wildlife conservation initiatives, an expansion of the zoo’s efforts and resources in proven field conservation projects. The zoo currently partners with 38 field conservation projects in 50 countries around the world. For more information about Woodland Park Zoo’s conservation efforts, visit www.zoo.org.

Accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), award-winning Woodland Park Zoo is famed for pioneering naturalistic exhibits and setting international standards for zoos all over the world. The 21st century zoo is helping to save animals and their habitats in Washington state and around the world. By inspiring people to care and act, Woodland Park Zoo is making a difference in our planet’s future.

601 North 59th Street * Seattle, Washington 98103, USA * 206-548-2500 * 206-548-1536 * TTY 206-548-2599 * www.zoo.org