The future of the Hunter River turtle is looking brighter, with Aussie Ark reporting there are more of the creatures in the river than first thought.
Hundreds of turtles washed up dead earlier this year, due to reduced water quality during the drought, disease and increased predation.
To save this species, which is unique to the Hunter River, the wildlife sanctuary kicked off a project with the support of Hunter Local Land Services.
Together, they developed captive breeding facilities and started a survey to monitor the numbers post-drought.
Initial results indicate a major increase, with more than 400 turtles found in just four days.
Date Time
Tiny turtles tough to drought
Earlier this year the plight for the Hunter River Short-Necked Turtle (Hunter River turtle) seemed very grim, facing impacts of predators (on eggs, juveniles and adults), combined with long term drought, reduced water quality and associated disease. Hundreds of turtles were found dead along dry rivers and many others were relocated from pools about to dry up to a nearby deep permanent pool.
The Hunter River Turtle caught the attention of Aussie Ark in 2018 and working with private landholders they teamed up with Department of Planning, Industry and Environment(DPIE)’s- Biodiversity and Conservation Division to monitor the species and support initial recovery actions.