Saving Endangered Turtles in the Pacific Northwest

The Oregon Zoo is currently raising 23 western pond turtles in a safe environment until they are large enough to survive on their own in the wild. Twenty are wild turtles brought to the zoo by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and three hatched here at the Oregon Zoo from a wild turtle being treated for a medical issue by our veterinarians.

The "wild" group, which hatched in October 2019, range in size from 20grams all the way up to 42grams and the "zoo" group, which hatched in June 2019, are already at 70grams-100grams. The turtles will go back to their home ponds either in late summer or early fall 2020.

This is our first group of turtles raised entirely in their new recirculating "mini-pond" systems. They have consistent circulating water, there are multiple basking spots and they have live plants in their temporary home at the zoo! With this new setup, we have been able to increase the welfare of the baby turtles in our care.

The western pond turtle, once common from Baja California to the Puget Sound, is listed as an endangered species in Washington and a sensitive species in Oregon. Two decades ago, western pond turtles were on the verge of completely dying out in Washington, with fewer than 100 turtles left in the state. Since then, more than 1,500 zoo-headstarted turtles have been released.

Your generous support allows us to continually innovate ways to keep our cherished western pond turtles engaged in natural behaviors and advance conservation actions throughout the Northwest. Thank you for your help in ensuring the success of this recovery effort for these vulnerable and important animals!