Dear Friends,
It has been an exciting year at Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre with huge strides made throughout the summer season. We completed construction of an outdoor learning space in our education program, and made exciting discoveries in the field of endangered turtle species – the spotted turtle! Now that the winter is upon us, it is time to ensure the survival of the next generation of turtles.
The need is real. Every year, more and more turtles are admitted to KTTC for life-saving care and the number continues to grow. This year, we have admitted and treated turtles from all over Ontario. We have repaired shells, removed fishing hooks, nursed wounds, bandaged, wired, fed and cleaned each one. Each turtle has a full exam, x-rays, bloodwork, surgery, and the essential daily nursing care with many requiring one-on-one physiotherapy!
Turtles are now slowing down in the wild and getting ready for hibernation. However, they are still active at our centre! We have admitted hundreds this season, and released a large portion of these already. While the busy admission time is now over, we still have about 100 adults that will be staying with us for the winter, many of which are still healing and require daily care. We are also caring for nearly 600 hatchlings that are waiting to make their appearance this spring.
KTTC is the country’s leading turtle trauma and education/outreach institution, and we couldn’t do our important work without the generosity of our many donors.
While all our programs are important for conservation, they all stem from our hospital – the only one of its kind in Canada. The females that are admitted carrying eggs give rise to our ‘headstarting’ program where we incubated 2,000 eggs this season! This program augments our field work where we are studying ways to make the integration of these new turtles as successful as possible. One key focus in achieving that success is addressing and helping to solve the road mortality issue – the main cause of injury or death of turtles.
‘Tis the season to give double! With your support, we can continue to push the frontiers of what is possible in care, research and learning. Your gift will directly benefit the continuing operations of our facility, providing the resources needed to make a difference to the existence of these at-risk species.
And with this special appeal, you have the opportunity for your gift to be twice as impactful! One of our long-time supporters has committed to matching each gift up to a total of $20,000 – that’s $40,000 toward food and care for the turtles, hospital supplies and keeping our turtles warm this winter! A gift of $50 will support the set-up for a hatchling; a gift of $250 can support the care of an adult turtle over the winter, or an entire clutch of babies! We have many other needs as you will see from the flyer below. What level will you choose?
Every gift will make a difference in the care and survival of our turtles.
Your donation will help us to continue to provide the best care to these patients who in turn, provide the best care of our ecosystem. Thank you!
Warm regards,
Dr. Sue Carstairs
Executive & Medical Director
Kirsti Clarida
Board Chair
