STIRLING COMMUNITY PRESS (Ontario) 14 February 05 Turtles no match for cars (Judy Backus)
One of 14 interesting displays at the environmental show held in conjunction with the Marmora Sno-Fest was that of the Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre, for now located in Peterborough at the Riverview Park and Zoo. Having outgrown its current location, the centre will be relocating in April. According to its very interesting web site, , “the Centre provides medical, surgical and rehabilitative care to injured native turtles in order to eventually release them back into their natural habitat.”
Research by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) has indicated that of the eight species of turtles within Ontario, only two are not considered to be at risk in some way. The web site points to a concern that “most turtle populations are declining and unless drastic measures are taken, scientists fear that several species may disappear from our province.”
The Centre currently has about 60 turtles spending the winter in their facility while recuperating from a variety of injuries, many of which took place on area roads. Deaths relating to such accidents are felt to have a direct impact on the turtle population. Once the winter has passed and the turtles are rehabilitated, they will be returned to the precise location at which they were found where they will be reintroduced to their natural habitat.
Sue Cowin, board member and volunteer at the Centre which was founded by a veterinarian in the summer of 2002, says that snapping turtles, such as Bob, who travelled to Marmora for the display, have been unfairly tagged with a bad reputation. She stressed that they will not bite swimmers and in fact will back away in the water. Although they will nip if aggravated on land, they do not have the force to bite off a finger as has long been the myth.
Turtles no match for cars