Blanding’s Turtle Make Over
This incredible story is a good reason to keep your eyes on the road this season. Only last week, a Blandings Turtle in Fayette County was run over by a car, resulting in major damage to the carapace. The Black Hawk Wildlife Rehabilitation Project was notified and rescued the turtle, with the plan to attempt to repair the seemingly fatal injuries. Dr. Cherney and Dr. Tom Taylor came up with an ingenius, abeit strange method of piecing the carapace back together. This method involoved various picture frame hooks and hangers as well as glue to hold the pieces of the shell in position. The logic for using these items was the fact that the hangers have moveable hinges and well as being lightweight and inexpensive. The recovery process will be quite lengthy; however, the hangers and glue will eventually be removed and no residue of these items will be left on the animal. The lucky turtle, whose name is Sumner, will stay with a liscensed wildlife rehabber until he reaches full recovery, upon which he will hopefully be returned to his native habitat. Remember, keep a close on the roads while driving. There are more turtles roaming around than you might think!
Turtle News From Around the World
Conservation
First sea turtle sighting in Southwest Florida
Sea turtles finally released western coast of Gibraltar
Prince helps conserve endangered australian turtles
Nesting sea turtle spotted in Georgia
Captivating photos of sea turtles
The start of nesting season in Turkey
Biology
Research on temperature sex determination
Ecology
Drivers speeding past warning signs
Controlled fire kills wildife at nature preserve
Litter pick-up leads to sea turtle nest discovery
Erosion damaging to nesting sea turtles
Education
Attend a box turtle workshop in Illinois
Miscellany
Sea turtle documentary released
From the Library…
The Last Tortoise: A Tale of Extinction in Our Lifetime
One of the book picks in Pondcast, Episode 23.
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Photo from Den Herder Veterinary Hospital.
