It will be at least a month or two before a western painted turtle injured in Williams Lake will be able to return to her habitat.

Two weeks ago on May 15, 2024, the female turtle was run over by a vehicle and left for dead on the causeway into Scout Island Nature Centre.

含羞草研究社淗er shell is stable but it will take a bit of time,含羞草研究社� said Megan Taylor, co-executive director of Scout Island Nature Centre on Thursday, May 30.

含羞草研究社淪o far she looks likes she is doing well.含羞草研究社�

The bridge on either side of the turtle含羞草研究社檚 upper shell was cracked on both sides and pushed in from the injury.

Taylor含羞草研究社檚 partner, veterinarian Dr. Don Deitrick of the Animal Care Hospital in Williams Lake, is taking care of the injured turtle.

Deitrick sedated the turtle and pulled the shell out on each side, Taylor explained.

含羞草研究社淲e took a thin wire covered in medical tape and wrapped it around her like a cast to stabilize it. She does not have much clearance underneath so you cannot put much there.含羞草研究社�

Through the last two weeks, Deitrick has been consulting with the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre who estimated the turtle is more than 40 years of age.

He sent the centre the turtle含羞草研究社檚 weight and measurements of her tail, carapace (upper shell), plastron (under belly), toenails and photos of the anal vent.

含羞草研究社淭hey said she was beautiful and based on her size could be over 40 and quite possibly older,含羞草研究社� Taylor said. 含羞草研究社淭hat含羞草研究社檚 pretty amazing. We also did an X-ray and from what we could tell, there weren含羞草研究社檛 any eggs.含羞草研究社�

As she is an entomologist and not a turtle expert, Taylor has been reading to learn as much as she can about turtles.

Taylor and Deitrick are feeding her plants from the marshes at Scout Island, red and dark coloured lettuces and some pellets that contain freeze dried fresh water shrimp and meal worms, and a little bit of cranberries.

含羞草研究社淎pparently when they are younger they tend to eat more worms and grubs, but when they get older tend toward eating more vegetation and plant material,含羞草研究社� Taylor said.

Taylor hopes the turtle含羞草研究社檚 plight will help raise awareness.

含羞草研究社淲illiams Lake is pretty much as far north as western painted turtles go and that含羞草研究社檚 pretty cool,含羞草研究社� she added. 含羞草研究社淭his is really something to be celebrated.含羞草研究社�

In June the hatchlings from the nest will emerge and they will be coming around the roadsides so the public is urged to be on the look out.

含羞草研究社淭urtles are slow anyways, but the little babies are even slower,含羞草研究社� she said. 含羞草研究社淚 would ask people to be mindful when they are driving by places where there is a marsh, pond or lake and realize they could be in turtle country.含羞草研究社�

The survival rate of hatchlings growing to an adult mature enough to start mating is less than one per cent, she added.

For western painted turtles it takes the males 12 to 15 years to become sexually mature and eight to 10 years for the females.

含羞草研究社淚t is the biggest bang for your buck to be fixing the older turtles that are successfully reproductive because you know you have one that can mate and reproduce,含羞草研究社� she said. 含羞草研究社淩ight now they are not able to reproduce at a level to replace themselves because of habitat destruction and road kill.含羞草研究社�

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

Don含羞草研究社檛 miss out on reading the latest local, provincial and national news offered at the Williams Lake Tribune. Sign up for our free newsletter