Flaviemys purvisi
Very Well-Known Member
ABC Radio Canberra
By Penny Travers
PHOTO: One of the first eastern long-necked turtle hatchlings to emerge from a protected nest. (Woodlands and Wetlands Trust: Lori Gould)
Labour-intensive efforts to protect eastern long-necked turtle eggs from foxes in Canberra appear to be paying off.
The first hatchlings — 18 in total — have emerged from their protected nests and been released into the water at Jerrabomberra Wetlands.
"Once in the water, there's a more than 50 per cent survival rate," Lori Gould, from Woodlands and Wetlands Trust Jerrabomberra Wetlands, said.
PHOTO: Turtle hatchlings have more than a 50 per cent chance of survival once they reach the water. (ACT Parks and Conservation: Michael Maconachie)
For years foxes have been digging up nearly all the turtle nests at the wetlands and eating the eggs.
Past efforts to protect the eggs with fences, pallets and cameras failed.
So last spring, rangers and volunteers spent 15 rainy nights following female turtles around, waiting for them to lay eggs and then securely covering their nests with a metal grid.
"When they finished laying, which took several hours on occasion, we would put the grid on and pin it down," Ms Gould told ABC Radio Canberra.
Fox predation problem widespread
Fox predation is a problem for turtles across the Murray Darling Basin.
"The turtles live for 60 years so you can look at your population and think, 'They're doing really well, we have lots of turtles'," Ms Gould said.
"But when we went out and actually trapped them, we found we were getting nearly all adults at the wetlands and not a lot of juveniles which meant not a lot of recruitment to that population.
"So that had us a little bit worried and that's why we're teaming up with experts to try and find the solution."
Ms Gould said controlling the foxes at Jerrabomberra Wetlands was not really an option.
"Simply because there are so many in the surrounding area, every time you remove one several foxes come back in, they all fight and the dominant male usually succeeds and we go back to a stable population," she said.
"Until we solve the regional fox problem, we've had to call on some labour-intensive but hopefully successful methods to try and save the turtles in the meantime."
Rangers expect more turtles to emerge over the next few months.
The nest sites are checked regularly and the hatchlings are given a helping hand to the water.
"Protecting about 12 nests, if in every nest we could save 18 to 20 turtles, that's quite a lot of baby turtles being released into the wetlands potentially," Ms Gould said.
PHOTO: Eastern long-necked turtles can live for 60 years. (Woodlands and Wetlands Trust: Lori Gould)
By Penny Travers
PHOTO: One of the first eastern long-necked turtle hatchlings to emerge from a protected nest. (Woodlands and Wetlands Trust: Lori Gould)
Labour-intensive efforts to protect eastern long-necked turtle eggs from foxes in Canberra appear to be paying off.
The first hatchlings — 18 in total — have emerged from their protected nests and been released into the water at Jerrabomberra Wetlands.
"Once in the water, there's a more than 50 per cent survival rate," Lori Gould, from Woodlands and Wetlands Trust Jerrabomberra Wetlands, said.
PHOTO: Turtle hatchlings have more than a 50 per cent chance of survival once they reach the water. (ACT Parks and Conservation: Michael Maconachie)
For years foxes have been digging up nearly all the turtle nests at the wetlands and eating the eggs.
Past efforts to protect the eggs with fences, pallets and cameras failed.
So last spring, rangers and volunteers spent 15 rainy nights following female turtles around, waiting for them to lay eggs and then securely covering their nests with a metal grid.
"When they finished laying, which took several hours on occasion, we would put the grid on and pin it down," Ms Gould told ABC Radio Canberra.
Fox predation problem widespread
Fox predation is a problem for turtles across the Murray Darling Basin.
"The turtles live for 60 years so you can look at your population and think, 'They're doing really well, we have lots of turtles'," Ms Gould said.
"But when we went out and actually trapped them, we found we were getting nearly all adults at the wetlands and not a lot of juveniles which meant not a lot of recruitment to that population.
"So that had us a little bit worried and that's why we're teaming up with experts to try and find the solution."
Ms Gould said controlling the foxes at Jerrabomberra Wetlands was not really an option.
"Simply because there are so many in the surrounding area, every time you remove one several foxes come back in, they all fight and the dominant male usually succeeds and we go back to a stable population," she said.
"Until we solve the regional fox problem, we've had to call on some labour-intensive but hopefully successful methods to try and save the turtles in the meantime."
Rangers expect more turtles to emerge over the next few months.
The nest sites are checked regularly and the hatchlings are given a helping hand to the water.
"Protecting about 12 nests, if in every nest we could save 18 to 20 turtles, that's quite a lot of baby turtles being released into the wetlands potentially," Ms Gould said.
PHOTO: Eastern long-necked turtles can live for 60 years. (Woodlands and Wetlands Trust: Lori Gould)
