Help Save the Box Turtles!

If you visit the wildlife center, you might notice signs on our outdoor box turtle enclosures letting you know that our turtles have moved indoors for the winter. While this transition may seem simple, our Research and Husbandry Coordinator has been hard at work preparing for the seasonal migration of our reptilian friends.

With the help of our fall intern, we’ve replaced five old wooden enclosures with new, sturdy PVC ones. These upgraded enclosures feature space for live plants, multiple hiding spots, and everything a box turtle could wish for.

Although our resident box turtles don’t brumate, the wild turtles we track do. We’ll continue monitoring them throughout the winter while focusing on preparation so that, come spring, we’re ready to track their movements as they emerge.

If you’re planning to visit the wildlife center and hope to see our ambassador turtles, don’t worry! Like snowbirds heading to Florida, our box turtles will return to their outdoor enclosures when warmer weather arrives in the spring!

At Piedmont Wildlife Center, we have been conducting an ongoing mark-recapture project on the box turtle population at Leigh Farm Park. Our mark-recapture project involves collecting data on box turtles that we either intentionally or unintentionally find. Data collected including location, weather, weight, and a variety of other measurements are useful for determining the movement, brumation cycle, abundance, and overall health of our box turtles.

Currently, the Eastern Box Turtle species is listed as vulnerable according to the IUCN Red List. Here at Piedmont Wildlife Center, we have experienced a decrease in our box turtle sightings. With the declining population numbers, we need to continue monitoring and researching our population to help prevent the species from becoming endangered. Information such as habitat preference may be key to restoring the population numbers.

Over the summer, I devised an experiment to find out what habitat our local box turtle population most frequented. I set up several camera traps within different habitats including, wetlands, deciduous forests, and mixed forests. While this experiment is still ongoing, I am hopeful that I can learn valuable information about where our turtles have gone.

What can you do to help?

For more information about our mark-recapture project and information on how to submit any box turtle sightings please visit our website.

Thank you for your continued support and until next time!