It's All About the Turtles

Education Sep 4, 2021 by skylar

If I told you Ontario has eight species of turtles, would you believe me? What if I told you that all eight species of Ontarios turtles are at risk due to habitat loss and road mortality. Did you know that we have lost 70% of our wetlands due to human development? This has had major impact on our turtle populations, which also has impacted our remaining wetlands as they cannot function without turtles. Before I continue to talk about Ontarios turtles, let me introduce myself.

My name is Skylar, and I am doing my placement at the Ontario Turtle Consveration Centre, located in Peterborough Ontario. Here at OTCC we take in hundreds of turtles every year. Many of these turtles have been hit by cars, boats, or have been kidnapped from the wild and brought to us. Did you know it is illegal to take any native species from the wild without a permit? Unfortunately this takes place all the time, which is where the education program comes in! For this first week I have been working along side Wendy, the education Coordinator, educating the public on the importance of turtles, the different species, and how we can continue to conserve turtle populations and their habitats. It has been a great first few days and I cannot wait for what's in store for next week! If you are interested in learning more about Ontarios turtles, feel free to send me a message or comment on my post! I would love to anwser your questions! :)

(Zig the Musk turtle: Meik, 2021)