Just a quick update on our turtles. Today the Milang campus school kids had another day of turtle patrol with, yet another, film crew. This time is was the team from TTN. Yet more turtles were found, dead & live making the tally at one place alone 76 live & 69 dead. 2 more joined me here, both short neck & 5 more will be coming to me next week. I keep thinking that number will start easing off but it's not happening. 20 or so were found today. They will be cleaned, the worst will be kept till spring while the better ones go to another kind person who then relocates them far upriver. I have included some pics from today. Pics 1,2 &3 are some of the lucky ones, pic 4 was once a turtle and pic 5 is a few more of the unlucky ones.
Turtles Of the Lake
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pete12
Well-Known Member
what is that stuff concrete or sumthing
P
-Peter
Guest
its bristleworm tunnels pete. Thery are a marine invert that build there home on most submerged surfaces. you will see aggregations of it on wharf pylons. They build calcium based tubes not unlike cement and in large numbers it builds up very quickly. The oversalination, due to greatly reduced waterflows, of the lake has resulted in a change in the type of life in the lake. In the not to distant future all freshwater supported lifeforms in the lake will perish.
yeldarb
Active Member
it's good to see some people being pro active towards the problem, unfortuanately it has had to get to this state, for media to report it on a national scale. well done on the good work, you guys are doing. keep it up.
It is tubeworm which is as -Peter said is usually found only in saltwater. When you break that stuff off, you can see the skinny, brown worms inside..real icky. Eventually the turtles get so covered they are literally imprisoned and can't feed or the shells get so heavy they cant move. They are then preyed upon by birds, foxes etc. Some are lucky enough to be found by one of the people who now patrol regularly. Then they are scraped and kept in fresh water. We change the water two or three times a day to start with, then once a day seems to be enough. Not only do we have to remove the crust and de-salinate them, some are weak from hunger so we certainly have a job ahead. I can't give exact numbers cos there are a couple of groups doing this but I could safely guess we have reached the thousands. Next problem could be what are we going to do if the lake doesn't recover? The river will almost certainly be next so where will the turtles go??
sarah_m
Very Well-Known Member
It breaks my heart to see so many that did'nt make it, but it is lovely to know there are people like you who care enough to try and make a difference. Wish i was in your state, i'd join you. Feel so helpless being so far away but unable to help
Cheers sarah. But that's just it! Everyone can find a way to help. We need to help the Murray by putting pressure on the government and the appropriate bodies to do something NOW...not 10 years down the track!! Irrigation further upstream needs to be curtailed for non-food related irrigators. By that I mean [ dare I say it ] vineyards for eg. None of the water from the Qld floods even reached the Murray! Once upon a time most of that water would have ended up here. Honestly, I don't know the answer, as I am just beginning my "education " into all this with my main concern ATM being the turtles. I will find out and pass on anything I learn. All I know for sure is that the WHOLE river system is in serious danger & although we in SA are bearing the brunt of it, it does in fact concern all of the states on this side of Oz!!
PS Thanks, guys, for your encouragement. It is a heartbreaking job when they don't make it but it's lovely when they do!
PS Thanks, guys, for your encouragement. It is a heartbreaking job when they don't make it but it's lovely when they do!
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andyscott
Very Well-Known Member
Your doing great work Sam :lol: How could refuse to help that little face on your last pic.
It's been a while but the fight continues. To date 300 turtles have been cleaned, nourished, tagged & released further up river. Many more haven't made it. It's getting too cold now to release so we are faced with hibernating them. What is the best way to do this? It has been suggested we use a door on bricks & fill the gap with straw. Any thoughts or ideas would be fantastic. I now have 14 in my care, mainly small ones which I will keep in heated tanks until spring / early summer. Also, 1 I picked up today has a soft spot on his belly. What is the best way to treat this & what caused it?
Pic #2 shows the soft spot, not a good pic sorry. It is on the cross in the middle. It is only a tiny turtle, the smallest so far.
Pic #2 shows the soft spot, not a good pic sorry. It is on the cross in the middle. It is only a tiny turtle, the smallest so far.
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Adsell
Active Member
Great job your doing there. Macs normally hibernate in the water. They will bury themselves under submerged logs, mud or other debris.
The soft spot is probably just due to it being a juv. All juv turtles have fairly soft shells especially underneath.
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The soft spot is probably just due to it being a juv. All juv turtles have fairly soft shells especially underneath.
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dragon lady
Very Well-Known Member
well done!....awe thery so cute!
Daniel_Penrith
Well-Known Member
OMG, look at those turtles 
How can this happen?
Its good to see people caring in ways of cleanin etc......
Thumbs up for caring!
How can this happen?
Its good to see people caring in ways of cleanin etc......
Thumbs up for caring!
Poor turtles. Good on you for helping them out and saving them.
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