It was mid-April when the Friends of Woodland Park received an email from Keith Williamson asking two questions: 1) are box turtles native to this area, and 2) are nutria actively controlled to protect the park or simply left alone. Our response to the nutria question was that there is not an abundance of nutria in this area and the natural predators keep their numbers in balance.
The inquiry about the box turtle (see Keith’s photo taken at Woodland Park) required an online search which resulted in learning that box turtles in Texas are declining in number and need to be protected.
Do you know…
Box turtles often live for 50 or more years.
Box turtles may live for nearly 10 years before they mate and lay eggs.
The number of eggs laid by female turtles is relatively few and many eggs are eaten by predators.
Very few baby box turtles reach adulthood due to being eaten.
Most of the box turtles sold in stores have been taken from the wild.
About half of the box turtles taken from the wild for the pet trade do not survive due to filthy conditions and lack of food and water before being placed in a pet store.
Turtles bought at pet stores or flea markets are probably in ill health.
So how do we protect box turtles other than not running over them with our vehicle when they are crossing the road? If you can safely pull off the road and rescue the turtle there are several things to keep in mind.
Pick up the turtle and move it off the road in the direction in which it was heading. (The turtle may try to cross the road again if it’s moved to the wrong side of the road.)
Don't take the turtle to another location unless you feel it’s not safe where you found the turtle. Turtles will try to find their old "neighborhood" and need to remain in the same vicinity.
Don't take the turtle home for a pet. If you take a female turtle home, it will be removed from reproductive potential for possibly 40 years.
If you find a box turtle when out for a walk in the woods or a bicycle ride, take a photo to share with your friends but please leave it where you found it (if in a safe place) after you’ve taken time to marvel at Nature’s wildlife with whom we share our world.
Please enjoy the trails at Woodland Park and let us know if you have questions or wish to share photos of wildlife you’ve seen there.
Louise Moss
Friends of Woodland Park
www.friendsofwoodlandpark.org
