Australia’s 24 species of freshwater turtles are declining and, in many places, foxes are the main problem.
“Between disease, habitat change, and introduced species, turtles are having a hard time,” said Dr Deborah Bower from the University of New England. “It’s devastating to imagine a world without freshwater turtles and we’re asking Australians to take action and help the baby turtles make it safely back to the water.”
A training package on the 1 Million Turtles website teaches keen turtle lovers how to find and protect turtle nests using mesh. Once the training is undertaken, you become qualified to help save turtles.
“Foxes eat the turtle eggs after they are laid next to wetlands and rivers,” says Dr James Van Dyke from La Trobe University. “This November is turtle month and we’re asking people to protect turtle nests with mesh to stop foxes from digging them up and eating them.”
It’s devastating to imagine a world without freshwater turtles and we’re asking Australians to take action and help the baby turtles make it safely back to the water.
Scientists are also interested in hotspots where foxes are destroying turtle nests.
“If you find egg shells next to water, it’s probably a dug up turtle nest,” Associate Professor Ricky Spencer from Western Sydney University said. “You can use our app, TurtleSAT, to log the location and help us figure out where fox hotspots are located.”
The 1 Million Turtles project is helping to save turtles across Australia. In the past year, citizen scientists have protected over 150 nests from foxes and saved over 800 turtles by moving them off the road. Community groups are also building islands to provide a predator free nesting spot.
“There are lots of different activities for all levels of involvement,” said Associate Professor Ricky Spencer. “We are interested in sightings of turtles both dead and alive and their predated nests. For people who want to do more there is training to protect turtle nests and help with a nationwide experiment on fox nesting rates.”
