Conservationists ‘trembling with excitement’ as rare sea turtles lay eggs

A female member of an endangered sea turtle species has laid eggs for the first time since being rescued, much to the delight of conservationists.

The lucky Manning River turtle is part of Australia’s captive breeding program launched in 2019 to save the dwindling species from extinction. Now conservationists from animal rights group Ark Australia and the Australian Reptile Park on the NSW Central Coast are so excited about the laying of the first eggs of the scheme that they told ABC Radio Mid North Coast they ” I was shaking with excitement.”

“It’s an incredible feeling to see where they come from and where they are now… laying eggs that eventually turn into baby turtles and go back into the wild,” said Hayley Shute, Australia Ark’s conservation manager. Shute ) told the station.

The turtles were rescued during the 2019-2020 Australian summer, during which intense wildfires threatened thousands of native animals. The Manning River turtles live in pools in the river, which were rapidly shrinking due to the fires, resulting in them and some wild eggs being rescued by Ark Australia.

The Manning River turtle, also known as the Manning River snapping turtle or Manning River saw-shell turtle, is endemic to the Manning River in New South Wales. The species is listed as data deficient on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, but they are considered endangered in Australia under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Their numbers are declining due to heavy predation, mainly by foxes and pigs.

Since the rescue, Australia Ark has released several turtles back into the wild, but this marks the first time conservationists on the project have seen the turtles lay eggs.

“It took a lot of work and expertise to build up to this moment: specialized food, water source monitoring and building favored nesting sites,” Schutte said. “We had to wait for behavioral cues and then introduce the female to the male.”

EGG-STRA – General Milestone Alert! The critically endangered Manning River turtle has laid its first egg! Proudly leading the world’s largest…

Four female turtles were discovered a month ago to be pregnant, or carrying eggs, after conservationists struggled to get the turtles to reproduce.

“We were checking the female day and night…we were nervously waiting for her to lay her eggs,” Schutte said. “The past week has been characterized by high humidity, rain, and high temperatures. [have] It was perfect weather for the turtle to lay her eggs…and she laid them like clockwork. “

One morning, conservationists discovered one of the females laying a clutch of 12 eggs in the sand of a nest box. Shute said it felt amazing when she checked the sand in the nest box and found a dozen eggs.

“There was a small mound that we had never seen before…we went in and very carefully started pushing the sand to the side,” she said. “Then I saw the top of a white egg and you could have knocked me over, I was so excited.”

Now, the waiting begins. The eggs have been placed in an incubator, which will keep them at the ideal temperature and humidity until they hatch two months later. After caring for the turtles for about a year, conservationists plan to release the turtles back into the wild.

“I can’t wait to one day be able to take these babies back into the wild and release them,” Shute said. “It’s all-encompassing conservation. It doesn’t get any better than this.”

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