News · 02-06-2021
Why does a turtle die in the Dutch wild?
Apart from the fact that it is gross animal abuse to leave a kept animal to its fate, it is also certain that the animal will die within a few years anyway.
Why does a turtle die in the Dutch wild?
Because a aquatic turtle can only eat from 18 degrees, there is only a very short period in the Netherlands to be able to absorb food at all. In addition to the fact that they need the food to function, it is also necessary to build up sufficient fat reserves before each winter due to the necessary winter rest. Because the warm periods are too short and the cold periods far too long, they will not build up sufficient reserves each year. The result is slow starvation which can last 5 to 7 years. Exceptions aside, but eventually every turtle will die of starvation. As the resistance decreases, the risk of a viral or parasitic infection increases rapidly, which within a few weeks weakens the animal so much that death will soon occur. These animals usually die in the water. Come up again by gasification and then sink to the depth. This is also the reason why one almost never finds dead turtles. In addition, in large groups of turtles, they will eventually eat each other due to the lack of sufficient food with all the risks involved. Turtles remain aaseaters and therefore eat rotting meat. The problem therefore remains under the radar....
A persistent myth is that people keep insisting that turtles have been sitting somewhere for decades. There are exceptions that very old red-chested turtles are stronger than most dumped turtles such as the yellow-chested, yellow-bellied and sawback. But still, you have to realize that there are annually turtles “dumped” at such places. Also relatively small turtles that can only survive for a short time anyway. We have never seen conclusive evidence of births in nature. A skinny turtle is difficult for a lay person to see. I can see it immediately by the sunken eyes and skinny legs and the depth of the abdominal cavity. On the shield there is nothing or little, at most algae or clay deposits. This is different with a skinny dog or cat, this can be seen immediately, even for laymen.
Do you see turtles anywhere? Unfortunately, it is impossible to catch them! As soon as one approaches aquatic turtles they will immediately dive into the water. In the water, a aquatic turtle is as fast as a fish. Even in a small pond it is almost impossible to catch a turtle. This is also the reason that Animal Ambulances do not come when the turtle is not caught. If you encounter a turtle walking on the street or near water. Always try to catch them. Put a coat over it for example and call the Animal Ambulance. A self-respecting animal ambulance will always pick up the turtle and take it to a shelter. Animal ambulances that do nothing, have excuses or even give the advice to put the animal back can not be taken seriously. In this case, always refer to our protocol for animal ambulances and especially report to us! [e-mailadres: schakel JavaScript in om het adres te bekijken] or call 088 - 444 0 777 available from 12:00 to 00:00.
References:
3] https://www.didor.nl/schildpaddenleed/
6] https://cms.dierenbescherming.nl/assets/common/default/Stroomschema_Schildpadden_meldkamer-WEB.pdf
7] https://www.vriendenvanmeerzoo.nl/?view=article&id=30:opvang-exotische-invasieve-dieren&catid=2
8] https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PvG5Y1JI8qDDNEWkMG8QhcRj8Fm-nZrF/view?usp=sharing
9] https://circabc.europa.eu/rest/download/041c47a4-9b58-4eb7-9c5e-aac64c654a44?ticket=
In any case, every found turtle is always welcome with us! We care about the animals, money is not our driving force, then we could have better done something else:)