Nowadays, the joy one feels when seeing a wild animal is tempered by the irrefutable fact that nearly all are under threat. Whether it’s human activity or chemical use, excessive hunting or attack by invasive species, wild animals are being pressured on all fronts. Yet we humans are not all bad – enter Marla Isaac.
On April 29, the Mattapoisett Land Trust wrapped up its day of annual meeting celebrations with a presentation by Isaac on the Eastern box turtle.
Isaac, a founder of the New England Reptile and Raptor Center and Exhibits, and well-known local reptile and raptor expert with over 30 years of experience, spoke passionately about her hard-shelled friends.
Calling it “the year of the turtle,” Isaac said that in previous generations the Eastern box turtle was a common sight in backyards and even in kitchens being kept as pets “…eating your cat’s food,” she added.
So plentiful were the turtles that a profitable pet trade industry exported tens of thousands of the land turtles. She also explained that non-native turtles have been imported primarily from Asian countries. Once released into the wild, these interlopers become a threat to native turtle species.
In spite of media coverage over the past decade regarding wild animal depletions, recently a man in New Bedford was arrested for hunting and killing Eastern box turtles in order to make ‘turkey call’ devices, Isaac said. Although charged and found guilty of a federal crime, the perpetrator only received a $2,000 fine, she said with disgust. She also said that enforcement is difficult with so few officers in the field, and she asked everyone in attendance to report suspicious activity they may come across.
Of the Eastern box turtles, Isaac shared all she knew as little children eagerly awaited the moment they could actually touch a one.
Isaac said roads present a real danger to this breed.
“Box turtles are land animals,” she explained. “They can drown in water.”
Often seen attempting to cross local roadways, she said that if you assist a turtle crossing a road, “Make sure you point it in the direction it was headed.” Isaac said the turtle most likely was going to its nest and would make every effort to get there. “It will only try again,” she chuckled, and then added, “Never relocate a turtle you’ve found. They will only try to return home.”
The Eastern box turtle’s range is vast, covering southern Maine to northern Florida and west to Michigan. Of the ten turtle species that are native to New England, nearly all are either classified as “threatened” or “endangered,” according to the Massachusetts Audubon Society. Isaac said the box turtle is a “species of concern.” This classification is an informal one meaning that the turtles need proactive protection, but that presently insufficient information has been collected to determine the level of endangerment.
For these hinged-shell critters, – the hinge, by the way, allows the box turtles to retract their heads and legs – Isaac hopes to establish a breeding program. She also advocates for turtle tunnels and berms along roadways as human measures that may help turtles maintain their ranges while staying out of harm’s way.
For more information on the Eastern box turtle and other native turtles, or to learn how you may help, visit www.mass.gov/nhesp or contact Isaac at http://www.nereptilebirdsofprey.com.
By Marilou Newell