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The OKC Zoo received 11 young alligator snapping turtles through a partnership with the Tishomingo National Fish Hatchery, which has a program to raise, rear and reintroduce the vulnerable species into their native habitat.
Before being released back into the wild, Seamus Ehrhard, the OKC Zoo’s assistant curator of herpetology, says the turtles will stay at the zoo until they are about four-years-old.
“Alligator snapping turtles really have no natural predators as an adult, but when they re younger and they’re smaller, they have predators such as mammals, birds and other turtles,” he said. “So during the very sensitive time when they’re very young, if you take the time to grow them up and feed them and make sure they re very healthy before we release them, the odds are they have a higher chance of having a better lifespan and surviving in the wild.”
KOCO High 5: Oklahoma man catches 97-pound blue catfish koco.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from koco.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The ODWC is raffling off a rare opportunity to be Bear Biologist For A Day through its new Outdoor Oklahoma Adventures raffle program.
All money raised will go directly to the wildlife department s conservation efforts.
For more information, or to enter the raffle, Click Here.
By: Tess Maune
Oklahoma s Own Blake Shelton spent his weekend in the woods with some wild black bears as part of a long-standing research project in the state.
For 20 years researchers have been keeping track of Oklahoma s growing bear population, along with the health of the herd.
On Saturday Blake Shelton tagged along in eastern Oklahoma to see the research project in person, while also getting to cuddle with a tiny bear cub. For more information on the research project, Click Here.
Shelton is a board director for the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Foundation and a big advocate for wildlife conservation efforts in the state.
BLAKE SHELTON OKLAHOMA: Blake Shelton studies bear cubs in Oklahoma with researchers koco.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from koco.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.