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Be a Citizen Scientist!
Be a Citizen Scientist!
Help researchers identify areas of high turtle road mortality in the St. Louis region. The Saint Louis Zoo and concerned members of the St. Louis community have developed a new project to monitor the direct impact of our road systems on our local turtle populations.
Help researchers identify areas of high turtle road mortality in the St. Louis region. The Saint Louis Zoo and concerned members of the St. Louis community have developed a new project to monitor the direct impact of our road systems on our local turtle populations.
Give Turtles a Break
Give Turtles a Break
From here in Missouri to the farthest corner of the planet, turtles are threatened by habitat loss, increased predation, invasive species, collection for the pet trade, disease, pollution, climate change and road mortality.
From here in Missouri to the farthest corner of the planet, turtles are threatened by habitat loss, increased predation, invasive species, collection for the pet trade, disease, pollution, climate change and road mortality.
Habitat loss
Clearing of land for agriculture and urbanization, including the draining of wetlands and the channelization of rivers, changes or destroys vital habitats for turtles.
Collection for trade
Millions of turtles are removed from the wild each year for food, pets, and traditional medicines. Many of these turtles are kept in unhealthy conditions and may die in transit.
Infectious disease
Infectious diseases are a large and increasing conservation concern for turtles in the US, causing illness and death. You can help minimize the spread of these diseases by not releasing captive turtles into the wild or by not relocating turtles from one location to another.
Pollution and litter
Toxic chemicals, sewage, and other pollutants discharged into streams and rivers can sicken or kill turtles. Turtles can swallow or be entangled in litter, causing injury or death.
Increased predation
Numbers of small predators, such as raccoons, have increased due to humans. These animals raid turtle nests and in some cases consume all of the eggs laid in an area before they can hatch.
Climate Change
Nest temperatures may be affected by climate changes. Turtle eggs are extremely sensitive to temperature variations, even small changes can cause eggs to not hatch or affect the gender of offspring.
Road Mortality
Our extensive road network in the United States may be leading to turtle decline by directly limiting population sizes of many of our land turtles and large-bodied pond turtles. In the United States, road mortality alone is estimated to account for 10%-20% of turtle deaths per year.
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements
About Turtle Road Watch
Turtle Road Watch is a crowd sourcing project developed by the Saint Louis Zoo staff (Co-founders: Michael Dawson, Jeff Dawson, Jamie Palmer ) and concerned members of the St. Louis community to gather data on road mortality and aid in turtle conservation in and around the Saint Louis region.
Turtle Road Watch is hosted and operated through a collaboration and partnership between the local conservation organizations such as the Saint Louis Zoo, Wildlife Rescue Center, and the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Thank You Collaborators!
The Turtle Road Watch program is not possible without volunteers like you! Thank you for your enthusiasm, time, and dedication.
This website and online resource was made possible with the help of Mike Dawson, Conservation Education Liaison at the Saint Louis Zoo.
Special thanks to Randy Blake for assisting in the development of Turtle Road Watch.
Image Credits
Jamie Palmer/Institute for Conservation Medicine Technician (Car on Road, Box Turtle on Road)
Jeff Dawson/Saint Louis Zoo Herpetarium Keeper (Collection for trade, Habitat Loss, Pollution and Litter, Climate Change, Infectious disease, Increased Predation, Road Mortality)
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