TortTime

Sea Turtle Preservation Society Volunteers Work to Save Archie the Hawksbill Sea Turtle! With only 3 flippers this little guy washed ashore lucky to be found by Brevard county volunteers. 

(Source Florida Today)

INDIALANTIC — Critically weakened, missing a front flipper, the baby hawksbill sea turtle plopped its tiny beak atop a digital scale, barely even wriggling.

Nicknamed Archie, the struggling reptile was discovered by a surprised couple Sunday in the Banana River, near a dock amid Cocoa Beach’s Thousand Islands.

“Because it’s such a rare turtle — very endangered — we’ll get him over to SeaWorld this afternoon and make sure that they get him some food and some nourishment,” explained Debby Livingston, a Sea Turtle Preservation Society board member, pointing a pen at Archie before a crowd of onlookers.

Archie weighs a mere 2.2 ounces and carries two white barnacles on his 75-millimeter carapace. Livingston surmised that he hatched a few weeks ago outside Brevard County, swam offshore to the Sargasso Sea, and was washed back in a clump of seaweed, exhausted.

“He is definitely having issues right now. He’s very lethargic. He’s probably not had anything to drink or eat. And he’s been thrown back from the Sargassum line — which is 25 miles away,” Livingston said.

Archie’s appearance stole the show during the Sea Turtle Preservation Society’s third annual World Sea Turtle Day celebration at its South Miramar Avenue storefront.

The Indialantic non-profit wildlife group’s open house also marked the birthday of Archie Carr. The pioneering conservationist’s namesake national wildlife preserve protects 20 miles of prime sea turtle nesting habitat in Brevard and Indian River counties.

Hawksbills are a federal endangered species and the Sunshine State’s rarest sea turtles, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports. Adults can grow to 200 pounds, primarily on a diet of sponges.

Satellite Beach STPS volunteer Ann Zscheile detailed “washbacks” like Archie in her book, “Wilbur the Washback Sea Turtle.” This tome tells the tale of Wilbur, a baby loggerhead whose seaweed home was blown back to Brevard by Hurricane Noel in 2007.

Zscheile, who helped rescue Wilbur, later co-founded the organization’s Sea Turtle Emergency Response Program.

“They cannot make that swim again back to the seaweed. They’re exhausted. People put them back in the water, but they don’t have that yolk energy of a hatchling,” Zscheile said.

“They’re doomed, unless we pick them up,” she said.

Sea Turtle Preservation Society Volunteers Work to Save Archie the Hawksbill Sea Turtle! With only 3 flippers this little guy washed ashore lucky to be found by Brevard county volunteers. 

(Source Florida Today)

INDIALANTIC — Critically weakened, missing a front flipper, the baby hawksbill sea turtle plopped its tiny beak atop a digital scale, barely even wriggling.

Nicknamed Archie, the struggling reptile was discovered by a surprised couple Sunday in the Banana River, near a dock amid Cocoa Beach’s Thousand Islands.

“Because it’s such a rare turtle — very endangered — we’ll get him over to SeaWorld this afternoon and make sure that they get him some food and some nourishment,” explained Debby Livingston, a Sea Turtle Preservation Society board member, pointing a pen at Archie before a crowd of onlookers.

Archie weighs a mere 2.2 ounces and carries two white barnacles on his 75-millimeter carapace. Livingston surmised that he hatched a few weeks ago outside Brevard County, swam offshore to the Sargasso Sea, and was washed back in a clump of seaweed, exhausted.

“He is definitely having issues right now. He’s very lethargic. He’s probably not had anything to drink or eat. And he’s been thrown back from the Sargassum line — which is 25 miles away,” Livingston said.

Archie’s appearance stole the show during the Sea Turtle Preservation Society’s third annual World Sea Turtle Day celebration at its South Miramar Avenue storefront.

The Indialantic non-profit wildlife group’s open house also marked the birthday of Archie Carr. The pioneering conservationist’s namesake national wildlife preserve protects 20 miles of prime sea turtle nesting habitat in Brevard and Indian River counties.

Hawksbills are a federal endangered species and the Sunshine State’s rarest sea turtles, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports. Adults can grow to 200 pounds, primarily on a diet of sponges.

Satellite Beach STPS volunteer Ann Zscheile detailed “washbacks” like Archie in her book, “Wilbur the Washback Sea Turtle.” This tome tells the tale of Wilbur, a baby loggerhead whose seaweed home was blown back to Brevard by Hurricane Noel in 2007.

Zscheile, who helped rescue Wilbur, later co-founded the organization’s Sea Turtle Emergency Response Program.

“They cannot make that swim again back to the seaweed. They’re exhausted. People put them back in the water, but they don’t have that yolk energy of a hatchling,” Zscheile said.

“They’re doomed, unless we pick them up,” she said.

TortTime

Hey Wisconsin Residents! Help the Department of Natural Resources by participating in the turtle monitoring program. 

From the New Richmond News:

According to the Blair Society, a group that monitors and studies vertebrates across the United States including turtles, tens of thousands of turtles are killed crossing roads every year and many of those are females looking for nesting sites in the spring.

When you add to the equation, the overall decrease in the amount of suitable habitat (wetlands, marshes etc.), the degradation of that habitat and the fragmentation of it by roads and other obstacles, turtles captured for pets and more for soup and shoes, you can begin to appreciate why turtles are in trouble.

The goal of the turtle monitoring program is to detect high turtle crossing mortality areas throughout the state and to begin to the placement of turtle road crossing signs and the implementation of wildlife friendly underpasses.

To report turtle sightings follow these simple steps:

1. Visit the Wisconsin Turtle Conservaiton Program Website – http://wiatri.net/inventory/witurtles/

2. Click on the “Volunteer” tab and then select “Enter WTCP Data”.

3. This will take you through a short step-by-step process of how to enter your data.

4. Enter your data and upload any photos you may have taken.

5. Click “submit” (You’re done!)

6. You can also download a physical copy of the report form from the website if you’d prefer to mail in your copy.

Mail your hard copies to: (if not submitting online) Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resource; Bureau of Endangered Resources ER/6; Wisconsin Turtle Conservation Program, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921.

(Read the whole article here)

Hey Wisconsin Residents! Help the Department of Natural Resources by participating in the turtle monitoring program. 

From the New Richmond News:

According to the Blair Society, a group that monitors and studies vertebrates across the United States including turtles, tens of thousands of turtles are killed crossing roads every year and many of those are females looking for nesting sites in the spring.

When you add to the equation, the overall decrease in the amount of suitable habitat (wetlands, marshes etc.), the degradation of that habitat and the fragmentation of it by roads and other obstacles, turtles captured for pets and more for soup and shoes, you can begin to appreciate why turtles are in trouble.

The goal of the turtle monitoring program is to detect high turtle crossing mortality areas throughout the state and to begin to the placement of turtle road crossing signs and the implementation of wildlife friendly underpasses.

To report turtle sightings follow these simple steps:

1. Visit the Wisconsin Turtle Conservaiton Program Website – http://wiatri.net/inventory/witurtles/

2. Click on the “Volunteer” tab and then select “Enter WTCP Data”.

3. This will take you through a short step-by-step process of how to enter your data.

4. Enter your data and upload any photos you may have taken.

5. Click “submit” (You’re done!)

6. You can also download a physical copy of the report form from the website if you’d prefer to mail in your copy.

Mail your hard copies to: (if not submitting online) Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resource; Bureau of Endangered Resources ER/6; Wisconsin Turtle Conservation Program, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921.

(Read the whole article here)

TortTime

Sign the petition to Stop Exporting Turtles to China

Sign the petition to Stop Exporting Turtles to China

Special thanks to Frank Indiviglio ( @findiviglio ), for the links and information!  You should all check out his twitter account and reptile blog at Thepetplace.com .

Here is an excerpt of his post on the  severity of this issue.  Please read this and click the link to read the full post. And of course, don’t forget to sign the petition!!

12 Million Turtles Exported from USA in 5 Years – Here’s How to Help

Posted by: Frank Indiviglio August 12, 2011

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  The plight of the USA’s freshwater turtles has taken a back stage to what has been labeled the Asian Turtle Crisis (a tragic situation, please see below).  However, a full-blown crisis is in progress here as well.  In the past 5 years, over 12 millionwild caught freshwater turtles were sent from the USA to food and pet markets abroad, while untold numbers were sold in-country.  Fortunately, you can make a real difference in their future by taking one simple step.  Please read on to learn how to take action to support CITES (Committee on International Trade in Endangered Species) protection for the USA’s freshwater turtles.

Please Read the full article:

http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatreptileblog/2011/08/12/12-million-turtles-exported-from-usa-in-5-years-here%E2%80%99s-how-to-help/

Sign the petition to Stop Exporting Turtles to China

Sign the petition to Stop Exporting Turtles to China

Special thanks to Frank Indiviglio ( @findiviglio ), for the links and information!  You should all check out his twitter account and reptile blog at Thepetplace.com .

Here is an excerpt of his post on the  severity of this issue.  Please read this and click the link to read the full post. And of course, don’t forget to sign the petition!!

12 Million Turtles Exported from USA in 5 Years – Here’s How to Help

Posted by: Frank Indiviglio August 12, 2011

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here.  The plight of the USA’s freshwater turtles has taken a back stage to what has been labeled the Asian Turtle Crisis (a tragic situation, please see below).  However, a full-blown crisis is in progress here as well.  In the past 5 years, over 12 millionwild caught freshwater turtles were sent from the USA to food and pet markets abroad, while untold numbers were sold in-country.  Fortunately, you can make a real difference in their future by taking one simple step.  Please read on to learn how to take action to support CITES (Committee on International Trade in Endangered Species) protection for the USA’s freshwater turtles.

Please Read the full article:

http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatreptileblog/2011/08/12/12-million-turtles-exported-from-usa-in-5-years-here%E2%80%99s-how-to-help/