Turtle With Rare Genetic Condition Adopted by Suburban Ecologist
A special Blanding’s turtle who called Chicago home has moved out to the suburbs, where she’s helping to spread the word about the plight of her endangered species throughout Illinois.
Lucy, as she was named originally, arrived at Chicago’s Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in August 2017 as a week-old hatchling. Although most Blanding’s turtles are dark with a yellow throat and yellow specks on their shells, Lucy’s entire body and shell are yellow, the result of a genetic condition that is likely a mutation.
Because of the condition, which makes her stand out to predators – and to illegal poachers in the wild – Lucy was kept behind the scenes in the museum’s Look-in Lab.
Last week, however, the turtle was transferred to a new home at the Isle a la Cache Museum in Romeoville.
The turtle’s move came about after she was adopted by Dan Thompson, an ecologist with the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, which more than two decades ago launched a program to help preserve the species, which is classified as endangered in Illinois.
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This Week In Turtles…
Sea Turtle Release
February 21 @ 10:30 am – 11:00 am Free
Who: Aquaman
When: Thursday, Feb. 21, 2018 at 11:00 a.m.; pre-release procedures begin at 10:30 a.m.
Where: Loggerhead Marinelife Center (14200 US Highway One, Juno Beach)
Job Openings with theTurtleRoom
TheTurtleRoom is looking for several individuals passionate about turtle conservation to join our volunteer staff team in a variety of specific roles! Two of these openings relate directly to this World Turtle News blog feature. We also have several other opportunities available for a variety of talents. Please check out this page for more details on each position, the requirements, and responsibilities. We look forward to hearing from you.
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Photo from Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.
