GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — John Ball Zoo has partnered with Grand Valley State University and the Pierce Cedar Creek Institute to help save eastern box turtles from population decreases.
JBZ says the partnership is helping its 12 cute baby turtles grow strong.
JBZ, along with GVSU and the Pierce Cedar Creek Institute, is supporting field work that helps “head start” the rare turtles and protect them from predators.
The Zoo says head starting is a conservation practice in which young animals are raised with human intervention and then released into the wild when they are less susceptible to predators.
For Michigan’s eastern box turtles, the skyrocketing raccoon population is a problem. According to JBZ, raccoons are top predators of baby turtles and turtle nests.
“Many people don’t realize that the turtles we sometimes see in our backyards or crossing the street are imperiled, and this important project helps us understand how we can further protect this valuable species,” said Bill Flanagan, conservation manager at John Ball Zoo. “Conservation is at the center of everything we do at John Ball Zoo, and partnerships like this help make a difference in our local ecosystem. We’re grateful to GVSU and Pierce Cedar Creek Institute for helping make a difference.”
The Zoo says it's working with a GVSU graduate student studying the efficacy of head starting and the ecology of head-started turtles.
JBZ says it has released 74 turtles throughout the last three seasons. The Zoo currently has 12 baby turtles getting their head start. In May, the baby turtles will be released into the wild near the Pierce Cedar Creek Institute.
“This research is important because turtles live long lives, so we will be able to follow them into the future to assess the efficacy of the head starting process,” said Matt Dykstra, field station manager at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute. “There are many reptilian and amphibian species that are also in population decline, and what we learn here could help us protect box turtles and other species throughout the state.”
JBZ has been head starting turtles since 2007. The Zoo says GVSU places trackers on the head-started turtles and tracks them post-release, documenting their survivorship and ecology.
"Head starting is a technique that can have incredibly positive effects on declining turtle populations, yet we lack information on the efficacy of this technique for eastern box turtles," said Jennifer Moore, associate professor of wildlife biology and natural resources management at GVSU. "The partnership between GVSU and John Ball Zoo has been crucial for this project and the long-term conservation of these threatened turtles."
