Royal Botanical Gardens Releases 52 Endangered Turtles Into Burlington Wetlands

The Royal Botanical Gardens has released 52 endangered Blanding's turtles into wetlands around Burlington, the most it has ever put out at one time. The release roughly doubles the local Blanding's turtle population, which now sits near 100.

The turtles were head-started at Scales Nature Park, meaning they spent several years growing in a protected rearing facility before being let go. A hatchling can weigh a few grams. Tys Theijsmeyjer, head of Natural Lands at the RBG, said they can eventually reach 225 grams and average around 150, which cuts the list of animals able to eat them from almost anything down to a few predators.

Two things pushed the population down. Marshy wetland was filled in, and the turtles travel well away from water to nest or find a mate, which puts them on roads. One of six females the RBG was tracking to head-start her eggs was struck and killed last year. A provincial report counted only around 20 Blanding's turtles left in the Burlington area by 2017.

The gardens are now working with Burlington and Hamilton on better roadside fencing, and Theijsmeyjer has raised trading some turtles with the Toronto Zoo to widen the gene pool. The RBG also asked residents to pay attention to how water runs off their own property and their streets, because the marshes the turtles need depend on it.