Snapping Turtle on a Road Shoulder (photo: Christine Jennings) Ontario has eight native turtle species, seven of which have been listed by both the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and by the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO) as species at risk. Turtles [...]
Turtles and tortoises are among the most endangered group of vertebrate animals in the world: more than half of the 328 known species are threatened with extinction. In Ontario, road mortality is one of the leading threats to turtles - but it is not the only one. Despite being listed as a species of special [...]
More than 10,000 have now signed the Friends of Ontario Snapping Turtles Petition to ban hunting of the species in Ontario. Read more at the Orillia Packet & Times.
Although "turtle season" has wound down and Canadian turtles have gone into hibernation, work for Kate Siena and Dr. Sue Carstairs continues. This winter there will be 191 turtles under care at the Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre (KTTC). Peterborough's KTTC opened in 2002 and since then has successfully treated and released thousands of turtles back [...]
KTTC veterinarian Dr Carstairs interviewed on Pioneer Radio: Animal Rescue on Pioneer Radio
The KTTC now has a YouTube account to chronicle our rehabilitation effort! Snapping Turtle sauntering around the centre Young Map Turtles being released into the wild Other videos of interest: Our Incredible World Snapper Profile Hinterland Who's Who Snapping Turtle Webisode
Thirty of Ontario’s forty-three species of reptiles are listed as Endangered, Threatened, or of Special Concern by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). Many of Ontario’s reptile species only occur in the southernmost parts of the province, which has become one of the most developed regions in Canada. As a [...]
People who work in wildlife rehabilitation are supposed to avoid words like “cute” and “cuddly”. Wildlife in our care are just that – wild. We are not supposed to think of them as cute. That being said, the Spotted Turtle is one cute wild animal. This is the smallest turtle you'll find in Ontario, with [...]
One of my personal favourite species of reptile that lives here in our province is the spotted turtle, Clemmys guttata. It’s Canada’s smallest species of turtle, and they’re easily our most beautiful! With bright orange skin, yellow spots on a jet black shell, the cutest little faces, and spunk and personality to spare, they are [...]
Myth #1: Turtles will give you Salmonella. Salmonella bacteria are found naturally in the intestines of mammals, birds, reptiles, some pets, some humans and is also present in the environment. Salmonellosis, a serious infection of the gastrointestinal tract, can be spread by handling animals or even by human-human contact. It is very important to wash [...]
This young snapper just hatched, thanks to the sharp egg tooth still visible on the end of its snout. (courtesy of R. Dolson) The Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre would like to pay homage this month to the Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina). In 2008, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada [...]
All animals prepare for winter differently. Squirrels and chipmunks collect and hide food in the fall, many birds migrate or fly south, while other animals eat large amounts of food in the fall to gain body fat and then find a nice warm place to sleep through winter such as bears, frogs and turtles. Animals [...]
