York Region rescues 40 snapping turtles

Forty snapping turtles have been released in the wetlands surrounding Rutherford Road in the City of Vaughan after being rescued by York Region staff and members of the Rutherford Road project construction crew.

Snapping turtle eggs were discovered while the construction crew was working on a road culvert earlier this year.

Snapping turtles are identified as a “species at risk” because they are of special concern and may become threatened or endangered due to a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats. It takes 15 to 20 years for a snapping turtle to reach maturity and many do not make it to this age due to environmental factors, predators, habitat disruption or other dangers like vehicles. Eggs are also vulnerable to predators. These factors all contribute to the slow rate of repopulation. 

The construction crew located an adult snapping turtle and a nest at the roadside. They promptly fenced off the area, instructing crew members to keep away from the area until a specialist arrived.

After assessing the nest, York Region confirmed it had been disturbed by a predator the night before and the eggs could be carefully removed and relocated. 

There are very strict rules regarding the handling of “species at risk”. 

York Region spent more than two hours carefully extracting eggs, making sure to keep them at the same temperature as the earth since a degree or two can alter the sex of the turtle. The eggs were secured in a peat moss-lined container for transport to the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre in Peterborough, Ontario.

The facility agreed to hatch the eggs and return them for release in the same sub-watershed where they were found. 

Due to the quick thinking of all staff involved, these turtles surpassed the expected survival rate of hatching in the wild and should contribute to an increase in the snapping turtle population.