Zoo, partners return 19 endangered turtles to wild

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

It was a shell-ebration last week for 19 northwestern pond turtles reared at the Oregon Zoo. In addition to partners from the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, zoo staff members were joined by the Klickitat Band of the Yakama Nation Chief Wilbur Slockish Jr. to return the endangered reptiles to the Columbia River Gorge.

Since last spring, the turtles have basked in the warmth and light of a simulated summer at the zoo’s conservation lab, growing large enough to have a fighting chance in the wild. Now they’re ready for the real thing.

As part of a regional recovery project, conservation scientists “head-start” newly hatched turtles gathered from wild sites, nurturing them at the zoo for up to a year.  

“We’ve been caring for these turtles in the lab since last year,” said Jen Osburn Eliot, who oversees the zoo’s Great Northwest area. “They’re big enough now to have a much better chance of surviving in the wild.”

Keepers prepare the turtles for life outdoors by giving them plenty of time outside to acclimate to changing temperatures. Once the turtles reach a weight of about 50 grams (a little less than 2 ounces), they’re taken to ponds along the Columbia River Gorge, where a team of conservationists returns them to their natural habitat and monitors them for safety. In one study, scientists estimated that 95% of the turtles released back to sites in the Gorge survive annually.

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

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 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 group of turtles we release is important,” said Eliot. “We need to get the numbers up if we’re going to help save the species.”

The Western 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, Bonneville Power Administration, U.S. Forest Service and other partners.

As part of Metro, the Oregon Zoo helps make greater Portland a great place to call home. Committed to conservation, the zoo acts globally on behalf of species from pikas to polar bears. Over the past 30 years, it has prevented extinctions, expanded populations, advanced conservation science, and formed powerful communities to protect wildlife in the Northwest and around the world. To plan your trip, go to oregonzoo.org/visit. 

Support from the Oregon Zoo Foundation enhances and expands the zoo’s efforts in species recovery, conservation education and animal well-being. Members, donors and corporate and foundation partners help the zoo make a difference across the region and around the world. To contribute, go to oregonzoo.org/give.