PREVIEW

WORDS BYLINE: Hayley Chamberlain

A tiny reptilian baby boom is giving conservationists fresh hope in the race against extinction.

Conservation organisation Aussie Ark excitedly announced another successful breeding season for the three species of endangered freshwater turtles in its program, with Manning River, Hunter River and Bell’s Turtles all producing eggs.

To date, the egg tally stands at 77 Hunter River Turtles, 37 Bell’s Turtles and 13 Manning River Turtles, with a couple more gravid (egg-bearing) females still set to lay. The current grand total of 127 eggs represents a major conservation milestone for the three species, all of which face imminent extinction in the wild.

The turtles are housed in specialised aquaria at the Conservation Ark facility, located within the grounds of the Australian Reptile Park in Somersby, NSW. Adult turtles were paired up last spring and treated to what can only be described as luxury conditions, complete with carefully managed diets and custom-made nest boxes filled with river sand designed to mimic natural riverbank nesting sites.

Throughout the summer months, Conservation Ark rangers kept a close eye on every turtle pairing and enclosure. Subtle signs such as disturbed sand or females perched atop nest boxes revealed when egg-laying had occurred, prompting rangers to inspect the nests and gently collect each clutch.

In the wild, freshwater turtle eggs rarely get such protection. Many are dug up and devoured by feral predators like foxes and pigs, a threat that - alongside habitat destruction and climate change - has pushed these species to the brink. Aussie Ark removes that danger entirely by incubating the eggs in a temperature-controlled environment designed to maximise hatching success. Each egg is meticulously washed, weighed, measured, numbered and logged into the Conservation Ark database.

Roughly two months later, the long wait ends as hatchlings begin to emerge. Aussie Ark Conservation Manager Hayley Shute describes witnessing the moment as “amazing”.

“Turtles have been on Planet Earth for over 230 million years; that’s longer than crocodiles or dinosaurs!” Ms Shute said. “To watch them hatch is like staring back in time. They are so ancient yet so fragile.”

Ms Shute said Aussie Ark is committed to securing a future for all three turtle species, stressing that every single egg represents a decisive “no” to extinction. Dozens of tiny hatchlings are now swimming in the Conservation Ark aquaria, with each one destined for release back into the wild in the near future.