Saving species, one turtle at a time

We here at Zoo Atlanta pride ourselves not just on the care we provide for our animals every day, but also the conservation focused relationships we have with other organizations. Some of you may already be familiar with one that lies on the Georgia coast, specifically Jekyll Island: The Georgia Sea Turtle Center! You can read more about their facility and mission here, and going forward it will be referred to as the GSTC. I recently had the privilege of traveling to Jekyll Island for a special occasion involving a project that has been ongoing for the past several years between Zoo Atlanta and the GSTC. 

If you’ve ever come to the Zoo and seen the diamondback terrapins in Scaly Slimy Spectacular, you may have noticed that they’re very small. This isn’t just because they’re a small turtle species in general. They come to us from Jekyll Island and our friends at the GSTC within a month or two of hatching. After a year of growing and getting stronger at Zoo Atlanta, we return them to Jekyll Island to be released into the salt marshes, while also receiving a new batch of babies to bring back with us. Our support of the GSTC’s Jekyll Island Causeway Conservation Program helps GTSC with their mission to raise awareness of and mitigate the threats facing this species.  

About two weeks before we left for this year’s release, our terrapins each got a vet checkup (you can read about the importance of these in our previous Conservation Blog). During the checkup, they all received a Passive Integrated Transponder chip, or PIT tag, which researchers can use to identify them if they’re found again later. Just like the chips that help identify lost cats and dogs, they are injected just under the skin. The day before we left, we gathered the 24 terrapins slated for release from the habitat, weighed each one, and recorded their pit tag numbers. 

The next day, after driving for about five to six hours, we brought those terrapins back to the GSTC, where they went through another health check. The vet staff there visually inspected each turtle to make sure they were suitable for release. A few did have to be looked at a little more closely, but the following morning, all were cleared to be released. We drove out with the team from the GSTC to a place where we could access the salt marsh. After we each took a couple terrapins and waded out carefully into the mud of the marsh, we released our tiny turtles among the reeds to be carried out by the tide a few hours later. 

As we made the drive back to Zoo Atlanta later that day with our new batch of 25 baby terrapins, I found myself thinking back to the older ones we parted with earlier, now out on their own. We can hope all of them will grow up to have babies of their own and continue to live out their lives in the marsh for decades to come, but that’s not how it goes for many of these turtles. Most will face hardships, and several may not live to see adulthood. A lot of diamondback terrapins are hit by cars as they try to cross the causeway, and most of those hit are females looking to lay their eggs. This conservation program run by the GSTC aims to offset the number of terrapins hit with new babies raised and give them the best head start possible. When people support Zoo Atlanta, they’re also indirectly supporting not just the GSTC, but all of the other hardworking conservation organizations we partner with. The next time you come to visit the Zoo, be sure to stop by Scaly Slimy Spectacular and say hello to our tiny temporary residents!  

Sources 

Georgia Sea Turtle Center • Jekyll Island, georgia • vacation, conservation, and Education Destination. Jekyll Island, Georgia • Vacation, Conservation, and Education Destination. (2024, October 16). https://www.jekyllisland.com/activities/georgia-sea-turtle-center/ 

Hamilton, S. (2024, October 28). Behind-the-scenes of animal transfers. Zoo Atlanta. https://zooatlanta.org/behind-the-scenes-of-animal-transfers/ 

Amanda Nelson
Interpretive Programs Coordinator