Endangered baby turtles get fresh start thanks to conservation partnership in Thousand Islands

Dozens of at-risk baby turtles are being given a proper shot at life thanks to a partnership between Thousand Islands National Park (TINP) and Brockville’s Aquatarium (AQ).

Earlier this summer, the TINP rescued nearly 200 vulnerable eggs from five at-risk turtle species in the region. A total of 31 snapping turtle eggs and eight map turtle eggs were brought into the AQ in early June to ensure they have the opportunity to thrive. With the support of L&G Turtles, the AQ offered to keep these eggs in their incubator, where they will safely incubate for up to three months. 

Liz Harder, curator of animal husbandry at the AQ, shared that children at the AQ Summer Camp have had the unique opportunity to visit the eggs each week and learn about the species when staff do checks. However, it was time to offically say goodbye on Thursday, Aug. 15. AQ campers took a day trip to the TINP to help release 13 baby turtles back into the habitat where they were initially discovered. Harder confirmed that so far 16 turtles have hatched and there are many more on the way. 

Harder explained to Brockvilleist “Once the eggs hatch, the babies are held for approximately one week to allow their yolk sac to fully absorb.  They are then moved to a nursery until their release. We try to hold them for as short a time as possible once they enter the nursery.”  

​​Kelsey Bowles, public relations and communications officer with Parks Canada, provided Brockvilleist with the following statement from the organization: “Thousand Islands National Park is home to five freshwater turtle species. Unfortunately, all five are now species at risk in Canada. In addition to threats from roads, poaching, and habitat loss, turtles within the region face high rates of egg predation from hyper-abundant predators like raccoons.”

The statement continued, “One of the best ways to help turtle populations is to protect their eggs with nest protectors and incubating eggs from high-risk locations. Parks Canada is pleased to have been working with the Aquatarium in Brockville for several years to help support incubating eggs and showcase these conservation efforts to their visitors with joint educational programming.”

As mentioned above, this is not the first time the AQ and TINP have worked together to help preserve local snapping turtle populations. Harder shared, “This is our fourth summer we’ve partnered with Parks Canada for the RARE project (Reptile and Amphibian Recovery and Education).”

Harder and the rest of the team at the AQ are passionate about protecting endangered native turtle species whenever they can, and hope to educate the public along the way.

“Projects like this help to ensure that nests laid in spots that are at risk of damage (roadsides, yards, etc.) have a chance to hatch.  Only one in 100 hatchlings will make it to maturity to lay eggs of their own, so any help we can give them with a good start in life is important.  This project also provides research into the ideal conditions for hatching to allow for further success in the future.”

The TINP would like to remind the public that collecting turtle eggs from the wild without a permit is against the law.