Ontario volunteers take injured turtles to hospital by road and air
More than 1,500 volunteers transport injured turtles across Ontario to a specialized wildlife hospital in Peterborough, with some journeys spanning thousands of kilometres. The Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre (OTCC) calls the service the “Turtle Taxi.” Pilot Isaiah Frazao spent his first season flying injured turtles this past summer.
The centre is home to Ontario’s only wild turtle hospital, accredited by the College of Veterinarians of Ontario. Veterinary teams treat turtles injured by vehicles, stranded or harmed in encounters with other wildlife. When possible, volunteers also bring in eggs from females that have died. Some can be incubated, hatched and released.
Wayne Harvey flies from his home near London, Ont., to collect turtles in places including Dryden, Ont. He watches for transport requests from the OTCC and can make up to four trips a year.
“If I see a few places that I know have small airports, I’ll offer to pick them up at, say, three or four airports,” he says. Local volunteers meet him with turtles in individual carriers secured for flight. Many of the local turtle First Responders are veterinarians and veterinary technicians who can stabilize the animals before departure.
Recovery brings another journey. Kelly Holman, based in Arkona, Ont., helps transfer turtles between volunteers and release recovered animals. They need to return to the areas where they were found. The centre supplies coordinates, but poor phone service and dried wetlands can complicate releases. Finding an alternative site requires following OTCC and government regulations.
All eight of Ontario’s native freshwater turtle species are considered at risk by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), an independent panel of scientists and experts. Vehicle strikes, habitat loss and animals eating turtle eggs are among the biggest threats, compounded by the time turtles take to mature and their low reproduction rates.
Source: Move over, Uber. The Turtle Taxi is here. | Broadview Magazine (broadview.org). Spotted via Broadview Magazine.
Written by the HappyGood desk from the primary source linked above and checked against it. Every story links its source. Corrections: [email protected].
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