PARC’s National Turtle Networking Team (TNT) was formed to facilitate and guide action through public-private partnerships to conserve native, North American turtle populations
Key Objectives of the PARC’s Turtle Networking Team
- Identify greatest issues and concerns related to the understanding and management of native, North American turtle populations.
- Coordinate and develop partnerships, strategies, and tools to address broad-scale, North American turtle conservation issues.
- Provide a centralized online location where turtle conservation outreach products, resources, and contacts are available.
Native Turtles Need Our Help
Turtles have endured on Earth since the days of dinosaurs. But today, many turtle populations in the U.S. are experiencing dramatic declines due to interacting threats: habitat loss, climate change, car strikes when crossing roads, disease, and illegal trade and possession. While we don’t know how many turtles we are losing, we do know that #EveryTurtleCounts.
Our turtles are special and irreplaceable. The U.S. is home to a greater number of turtle species than any other individual country— many live only here. That’s why conservation partners are working together to address turtle trafficking through the Collaborative to Combat the Illegal Trade in Turtles. But we need your help too.
Six Things You Can Do to Help Protect Native Turtles
1. Report suspicious activity
If you suspect someone is illegally collecting or selling wild turtles, call the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s tip line (1–844-FWS-TIPS) or consult this webpage to find your state or provincial wildlife agency’s law enforcement phone number. The US. Fish and Wildlife Service is authorized to pay rewards for information or assistance that leads to an arrest, a criminal conviction, civil penalty assessment, or forfeiture of seized property.
Learn more about what to look for.
2. Help turtles cross roads
If it’s safe for you to do so, escort turtles across the road in the direction they are already heading.
Don’t ever take a turtle home, or move it to a different location. The turtle is better off in the habitat it’s accustomed to, with the friends (and enemies) it already knows.
If you find an injured turtle, call your local animal control office, humane society, or veterinarian for help finding a certified wildlife rehabilitator. Animal Help Now can be consulted to find licensed rehabilitators: https://ahnow.org/#/
3. Don’t share turtle locations online
It can be exciting to see turtles in the wild, and to share your discovery. But before you take a photo of a turtle in the wild, turn off the geolocation on your phone. If you post a photo of a turtle on social media, don’t include information about where you found it. Poachers use location information to target sites.
If you want help identifying a turtle you saw in the wild, reach out to a local nature center or your state wildlife agency.
4. Do your homework before buying a turtle
Familiarize yourself with state, national, and international laws regarding the protection or possession of domestic, foreign, and wild turtle species where you live.
Consider the responsibility that comes with keeping a pet turtle or tortoise. Because turtles and tortoises are long lived animals – many living 50-80 years, or more – they will require specialized care for decades.
If you are still interested in having a turtle, consider adopting a turtle that needs a home. It can be difficult or impossible to determine if a certain dealer or seller is operating ethically, and there may be unwanted turtles in local animal shelters that need homes. For information on turtles as pets, please visit our #EveryTurtleCounts page.
5. Don’t release pets
If you are no longer able to care for a pet turtle, don’t release it into the wild. It could transmit harmful diseases to wild populations, or outcompete native species.
Bring your pet turtle to an animal shelter, or consult your state wildlife agency or a wildlife rehabilitation center for help finding a new home for the animal.
6. Love turtles by protecting their homes
Learn what turtle species are native to your community. Visit zoos, nature centers, and refuges to find out about conservation efforts.
There may be opportunities to volunteer, or ways you can support native turtle habitat in your community or on your land. Clean up efforts in parks, woods, and along waterways are one simple way to help many kinds of wildlife.
Social Media
Celebrate #WildTurtleWeek in May with our different resources about turtles. Consider sharing items on social media.
Suggested hashtags:
#EveryTurtleCounts, #BuyInformed, #KeepWildTurtlesWild, #TurtleConservation
Infographics and Brochures
Print out these infographics to distribute or post:
- Every turtle counts – We are losing our native turtles to the illegal trade. But you can help stop it.
- What you can do to protect turtles – When it comes to turtles, remember these “Do”s and “Don’t”s
- The truth about turtles – What to know before you buy
- Backyard guide to helping amphibians and reptiles – Ways to help turtles at home
- Six Ways to Help Turtles
Library
Read more about the native turtle trafficking crisis, and what partners are doing to address it on the Collaborative to Combat the Illegal Trade in Turtles Media page.
Questions can be sent to: parc_coordinators@parcplace.org