We predict having approximately 170 western painted turtles for release in 2022. The turtles are released at predetermined locations throughout the Fraser Valley to start new or bolster existing populations.
The Western Painted Turtle is the only native turtle species in B.C. and it has been affected by many factors including human development and activity. The turtle recovery program at The Greater Vancouver Zoo which involves many partners and components, focuses on the species range along the Coast and in protecting, assessing, and recovering these critical populations.
“We are always excited to be able to release the animals we have raised, to be able to release them to the wild to continue to have viable populations is our whole goal, but we do have to let them go and hope that they continue to thrive on their own. The evidence we have collected doing follow up surveys suggests over 95% of the turtles we release will survive. We have even started to see our released animals come back to the beaches to lay eggs. That is what we are looking for, those are our benchmarks for success” – Andrea Gielens, Wildlife Biologist (Wildlife Preservation Canada).
Watch our conservation video below!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxijOKC3M8Q
