Thousands of endangered turtle hatchlings born in a lab are getting their first taste of life in the wild.
The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) released the 10,000 hatchlings of seven species including the Spiny Softshell Turtle into the Thames River this week.
It is the first time the tiny turtles have had to fend for themselves since conservation authority staff collected them from the water when they were just eggs. After being collected, the eggs were taken to the Southern Ontario At Risk Reptiles (SOARR) lab in London. There they were incubated until the turtles hatched.
"This season has been one of our most successful ever, in terms of the number of eggs protected and hatchlings released,” said Scott Gillingwater, a species-at-risk biologist with the conservation authority. “This success gives hope for many of these rare reptile species.”
Removing the eggs from the wild and incubating them in a lab protects them from flooding and natural predators, dramatically increasing the endangered turtle's chances of survival. The UTRCA's program is one of the largest freshwater turtle egg incubation programs for endangered turtles in North America. Since its launch in 1994, the program has reversed the rapid decline of Spiny Softshell Turtles, trained more than 150 early-career biologists and technicians, and developed recovery strategies and management plans for at-risk reptiles.
The conservation authority pointed out that the ongoing program has been the difference between life and death for the Spiny Softshell Turtle.
"We’re slowly gaining ground, but there is much more to accomplish,” said Gillingwater.