Stichting Schildpaddenopvang Nederland and Spoekbuis voor Dieren plead for turtle reserve at Tweede Kamer

Harkema 24-03-2025 – Stichting Schildpaddenopvang Nederland and the Speakbois voor Dieren, which represents a large number of Dutch municipalities and animal organizations, will attend the technical briefing in the Tweede Kamer on Tuesday (25-03-2025) about the attack plan invasive exotic species. Before and after the briefing, the foundation will advocate for a national turtle reserve as a structural solution for dumped (invasive) turtles.

For more than 70 years, the problem of dumped turtles has been ignored, while due to the still permitted trade, they continue to appear in nature reserves, canals and ponds, but also increasingly in and around vulnerable nature and water bodies. It is time for a structural solution: a reserve where they are well and animal-worthy taken care of, without harm to nature and before the animals can reproduce in the Netherlands due to climate warming, says Gerard van der Wijk, chairman/manager Stichting Schildpaddenopvang Nederland.

Over Stichting Schildpaddenopvang Nederland
The foundation is committed to the shelter and nature protection in the Netherlands, the shelter in Harkema now houses more than 5000 turtles that were all once pets. There is a great need to find a larger place where all the turtles can be kept in an animal-worthy way. With the introduction of the already adopted reptiles position list, the foundation expects to have to accommodate extra many banned turtles. This is in addition to the around 1000 turtles that are taken care of per year. By acting proactively now, the problem of turtle shelter due to lack of space has been definitively solved after more than 70 years!