60 mins now Turtles in Trouble

[kakariki]

On 60 minutes now is a program about the turtles in Lake Alexandrina. They are in trouble. I currently have 3 in my care.

 

[bundy_zigg]

what a sad story, i grew up down there and my dad,sister and I spent a lot of time there. Boy has it changed. What will it take for things to change and for people to understand that its a living ecosystem that needs water to sustain its self. What a sad loss for SA

 

[michelleryan]

I missed it!
I will have to download it from the website!

 

[Vincent21]

I missed it aswell.

 

[hozy6]

do you know that chuck norris can watch 60 minutes in 20


na really that is sad about the turtles

 

[expansa1]

what a sad story, i grew up down there and my dad,sister and I spent a lot of time there. Boy has it changed. What will it take for things to change and for people to understand that its a living ecosystem that needs water to sustain its self. What a sad loss for SA

Rudd has promised to spend millions of dollars to fix the Murray/Darling River system. Why don't people have the foresight to stop this sort of thing from happening before it's too late? The same thing will happen to the Mary River if they dam it, then they'll wonder why the ecosytem is stuffed and the river dies after they've spent millions of taxpayers dollars trying to save it. Too little - too late. Like they said on 60 minutes. Most Australians really don't give a rats a... about the environment!

 

[$NaKe PiMp]

everyone should buy a mary river turtle or at least a fluffy toy one like i did today lol
or join AFTCRA they reprezent

 

[kakariki]

We do turtle patrol along the lake & my kids may well be the last generation to know the lake at all. The water recedes every day & it is a sad thing to watch. It is quiet at night now, no froggies, very few birds & all because of greed & environmental terrorism. This is just the start.

 

[cootiesami]

i know it saddens me too! I have often driven past there and particularly over the last few years the drop in levels is disgusting! I remember when i was 8 the water was right up to the shore only a few metres from the road but now it is about 10 m receded which is quite scary!

 

[kakariki]

Rudd has promised to spend millions of dollars to fix the Murray/Darling River system. Why don't people have the foresight to stop this sort of thing from happening before it's too late? The same thing will happen to the Mary River if they dam it, then they'll wonder why the ecosytem is stuffed and the river dies after they've spent millions of taxpayers dollars trying to save it. Too little - too late. Like they said on 60 minutes. Most Australians really don't give a rats a... about the environment!

:shock:10 years! The Murray will be helped over the next 10 years. At the rate at which the lake is disappearing there will be no lake OR river to save. For those upstream to sit there & say "It won't affect us" is just head-in-the-sand stuff. The river is becoming extinct & needs help YESTERDAY not tomorrow. Everyone who relies on the river can do their bit, even those in cities. Put in a rain water tank, use water saving technology & the politicians need to rein in the vineyards:evil: and others who rape the environment for their own personal gain. I hope my photos won't be the only way I see the lake in future. Oh...to look out of my dining room window & see & hear the lake again......I can only hope ...for everyones sake :cry:.
cootiesammi...10m receded is mild, in some areas its KMs. Dive the Milang - Clayton Bay Road. You can no longer see the lake from the road in parts anymore. It used to be lapping at the road at one time!

 

[Ridgeback]

Kakariki, I missed the story but have picked up the gist from this thread. It isn't the beginning. It is the beginning of the end. We moved in to Baulkham Hills about 3y ago to a great location, in the corner of a big sweeping bend in a creek. I thought it would be absolutely brilliant, taking the kids to the creek to meet the beasties. We have seen water skinks and water dragons. That's it though. No tortoises, no red-bellies, no frogs, not even a single lonely taddie. I spent whole days traipsing through the local waterways when I was a kid and it's tragic to think that my kids may never know the thrill of discovering a raft of frogs eggs, or seeing reptiles and amphibians in all their glory, instead of staring out of zoo enclosures. Or worse - in museums. The small venue for the Expo at Castle Hill indicates how few of us there are who may actually notice, let alone care! As a nation full of unique fauna we should be freeing up access to natives, and requiring people to get a licence to keep a cat or rabbit! I'll put the soap-box away now.

 

[kakariki]

I think that too many people want "someone else" to fix things and don't really believe that the worst can & does indeed happen. I too can remember wandering the creeks and finding taddies...& that was in the southern suburbs of Adelaide! If more of us get in and actually do our bit, maybe, just maybe it will make a difference. I have 3 turtles with me atm. Yesterday it was 4. Unfortunately help came too late for one of them. I've been told by the school that TTN [ a kids program which used to be BTN ] is coming up on Wed to do a story about the turtles and what is being done to try to save them.
And what if we do save these turtles? What is going to happen to them? They may never go back to the lake cos the salt is too high. It's just a matter of time before the river succumbs also. What then? It's like a horror story unfolding. I sincerely hope that it is not too late & I certainly won't be waiting for "someone else" ! Will you??

 

[bundy_zigg]

the worst thing about it is that this not an isolated case! every where we look through out the world there is devestation and destruction. we will never learn nor will we change.

 

[kakariki]

the worst thing about it is that this not an isolated case! every where we look through out the world there is devestation and destruction. we will never learn nor will we change.

I hope, for all our sakes, you are wrong!
A couple of months back I posted pics of the lake. I am going to take some more tomorrow, from the same places and compare them. I saw pics the other day taken at the jetty December 2006. A paddlesteamer was on a visit and had tied up at the end. There is only sand there now...........

 

[MoreliaMatt]

a guy at work brought in some photos the other week, he has a shack on the murray at mannum....
the photos taken easter this year and easter last year of the same spot are very upsetting! the river has dropped atleast a metre in depth in this spot and has receeded 3 from the old shore line.....

NOT GOOD!

 

[kakariki]

Matt, I think I read somewhere that the paddlesteamers at Mannum were in danger of running aground. It is all over the whole system & living right on the doorstop, so to speak, it really hits home just how terrible it all is. That's why I have become involved with the turtles.
Can anyone suggest what else I can feed these guys? I am using bloodworms atm but have freshwater mussels in the pet freezer. Would they be ok to use? And what about sliced carp? [I will send my son on a fishing trip, I'm sure he'll hate that!! Hahaha.] I have 3 turtles now but 5 more are coming at the end of the week. I will keep them heated and feed them till spring. Hopefully by then we will have some idea as to what to do with them. Some people are recommending take them to Gorge Wildlife park, some say release further upriver but it could be just a matter of time before the salt reaches there too. I can't believe the mess we are in!!
Any help you can give in regards different foods I can use would be great. I really would like to give as big a variety as possible, including greens.

 

[kakariki]

I have some pics of the tubeworm on 1 of the turtles. I spent this afternoon cleaning him off. Any info on my earlier questions?....Anyone....I searched & came up empty........?????? The turtle in pic one is now free from tubeworm. The algae is my next job. The last pic is a clean turtle..see..he is smiling :lol:.
And if the worm isn't enough, these guys are being poisoned by the salt water too.

 

[MoreliaMatt]

poor buggers, its so sad

 

[kakariki]

It is sad. They really seem to improve once the worm is scraped off. All of these are eating [ how do you tell condition of a turtle??] & do seem much happier now. Still no replies in regards to the mussels though. I would like to give them something besides bloodworm but I'm not risking any more harm to these guys. They been through enough IMO. Anyone??? Surely someone would know??????

 

[herptrader]

I have some pics of the tubeworm on 1 of the turtles. I spent this afternoon cleaning him off. Any info on my earlier questions?....Anyone....I searched & came up empty........?????? The turtle in pic one is now free from tubeworm. The algae is my next job. The last pic is a clean turtle..see..he is smiling :lol:.
And if the worm isn't enough, these guys are being poisoned by the salt water too.

I would not be in a rush to remove the algae from their shells. The only turtles I have seen without algae are captive ones. In the wild it seems to be part of their life style. I know that the ones sold in pet shops have the algae scrubbed off to make them more appealing as a sale. IMO removing the Algae is not in the turtles best interest.