Baby turtles hatching at Rare reserve
Organization collected more than 2,000 eggs from 64 snapping turtle nests, three painted turtle nests
WATERLOO REGION — Hundreds of turtle eggs collected from atrisk nesting sites are hatching at the Rare Charitable Research Reserve in Cambridge.
“Every time we go to open the incubators and you find them … you’re always super excited, no matter how many times I’ve seen them come out,” said Logan Mercier, assistant conservation technician at Rare and member of the turtle incubation project.
The environmental organization first started the project in 2017 to help boost the survival rates of turtles in the region.
“There are a lot of problems that turtles are facing right now,” said Sarah Marshall, the conservation technician overseeing the project.
All Ontario turtle species are considered species at risk, she noted.
“They’re dealing with a lot of road mortality, they’re dealing with predation, they’re dealing with a lot of human-caused issues that are resulting in their populations declining.” The turtle project is one way Rare can help boost the population. Each summer, staff members carefully collect eggs from nests laid in risky spots throughout the region and Wellington County. “These are places like roadsides, middles of trails, gravel parking lots and soccer fields,” explained Marshall. But digging up a turtle nest isn’t a task for the faint of heart. Staff have to be careful to keep the eggs at the exact orientation they were found in the nest. “The yolks in turtle eggs aren’t free floating like they are in chicken eggs,” said Marshall. “Shortly after it’s been laid, the yolk will fuse to a particular side of the egg and you can’t turn the egg upside down or in any way other than the exact orientation that it was, or you’ll kill the turtle.” The eggs are transferred from the nests to plastic containers filled with vermiculite, which holds moisture well. The containers of eggs are then placed in incubators that resemble mini fridges and are kept in the Rare basement. This summer, Rare collected more than 2,000 eggs from 64 snapping turtle nests and three painted turtle nests. It’s a labour of love for Marshall and Mercier, who started collecting eggs in June. It takes from 60 to 80 days for the eggs to hatch and during incubation staff members have to check up on the nests regularly to make sure they are developing well and have enough
moisture.
This year’s batch of tiny, toonie-sized baby turtles began hatching in late August and more are expected into early September, explained Marshall.
“It will take at least a day between them poking their head out (of the shell) and actually deciding that they want to get out of the egg,” said Marshall.
“They actually have a tooth, we call it an egg tooth, but it’s a temporary little tooth that’s on the front of their face that they use to cut through the egg to get out.”
Within three days of hatching, Rare is required to release the tiny turtles. Typically, they do so within 100 metres of their original nest site.
“There are some instances where we have to release them outside of that 100-metre boundary if there’s not a suitable wetland for them,” explained Mercier.
The turtles, particularly baby snapping turtles, really like areas with shallow water and lots of cover so they can hide, said Marshall.
Once released, they’re on their own. Baby turtles are self-sufficient, meaning in the wild they have no parental support.
Mercier, who has been doing the majority of the releases, said it’s bittersweet to send them off.
“Collecting them, checking on them, taking care of them and now releasing them — I feel like they’re my children at this point,” she said.
“It’s sad to see them go, but I’m happy to be a part of it.”