Zoo, partners return 22 endangered turtles to the wild

Zoo-reared northwestern pond turtles are released in the Columbia River Gorge

22 northwestern pond turtles reared at the Oregon Zoo have something to shell-ebrate this week. With the help of volunteers and local wildlife officials, zoo care staff returned the endangered reptiles to the Columbia River Gorge.

Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists collected the turtle hatchlings from sites in the Gorge last spring and transported them to the zoo conservation lab. With heat lamps and plentiful food, the turtles grew quickly. 

“In a year, they grew to about the size of 3-year-old turtles,” said Jen Osburn Eliot, who oversees the zoo’s turtle conservation program. “Head-starting the turtles in the lab gives them a much better chance of survival in the wild.”
 
The American bullfrog, native to the eastern United States but considered invasive here, is the largest frog species on the continent. It can tip the scales at more than a pound and has been driving pond turtles and a host of other small, vulnerable aquatic species to the brink of extinction.

“The bigger the turtle, the harder it is for a bullfrog to gobble it up,” Eliot said.

Keepers prepare the turtles for life outdoors by giving them plenty of time outside to acclimate to changing temperatures, as well as adjusting their diet to mimic what they’ll find in their new pond home.

The northwestern pond turtle, also known as the western pond turtle, is listed as an endangered species in Washington and a sensitive species in Oregon. Two decades ago, the turtles were on the verge of completely dying out in Washington, with fewer than 100 of them left in the state. Since then, more than 1,600 zoo-head-started turtles have been released.

“Every turtle we put back in a pond matters,” said Eliot. “We need to do our part to keep the population going.”

The Northwestern Pond Turtle Recovery Project is a collaborative effort by the Oregon Zoo, Woodland Park Zoo, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Friends of the Columbia River Gorge, Bonneville Power Administration, U.S. Forest Service and other partners.