Columbia River Gorge, United States – Twenty-two endangered northwestern pond turtles raised at the Oregon Zoo have been returned to the wild in the Columbia River Gorge as part of a coordinated conservation effort involving zoo staff, volunteers, and wildlife officials.

The turtles were collected as hatchlings from sites in the Gorge last spring by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologists and transported to the Oregon Zoo conservation laboratory for head-start rearing.

In the lab, the turtles were provided with heat lamps and regular food supplies, allowing them to grow quickly before being prepared for release.

“In a year, they grew to about the size of 3-year-old turtles,” said Jen Osburn Eliot, who oversees the zoo’s turtle conservation program. She added, “Head-starting the turtles in the lab gives them a much better chance of survival in the wild.”

Before release, keepers acclimated the turtles to outdoor conditions by exposing them to changing temperatures and adjusting their diet to reflect what they will encounter in the wild.

The species faces threats from invasive American bullfrogs, which are the largest frog species on the continent and can weigh more than a pound. Eliot said, “The bigger the turtle, the harder it is for a bullfrog to gobble it up.”

The northwestern pond turtle, also known as the western pond turtle, is listed as endangered in Washington and a sensitive species in Oregon. Wildlife officials noted that fewer than 100 remained in Washington about two decades ago, while more than 1,600 zoo-head-started turtles have since been released.

“Every turtle we put back in a pond matters,” Eliot said. “We need to do our part to keep the population going.”

The Northwestern Pond Turtle Recovery Project is a joint effort involving multiple organizations, including the Oregon Zoo, Woodland Park Zoo, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Friends of the Columbia River Gorge, Bonneville Power Administration, U.S. Forest Service, and others.

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