The Oakland Zoo and the Western Pond Turtle Head Start Program

Comparing a Head Started turtle to one that hibernated in the wild.Alright, I am going to say the “C” word: these little guys are cute! As an environmental professional, I know this is a word I am not supposed to use, but it is impossible not to.

Barely bigger than a quarter, the baby Western Pond Turtles were drawing a cooing crowd of Oakland Zoo staff in their new, but temporary, home in the back room of the Bug House. Here, our animal management staff will happily feed and care for them until they grow big enough to fend for themselves back in their home in Lake County.

Nicholas Geist of Sonoma State University began a study of these natives when he feared that global warming would affect their future. As the sex of baby turtles is determined by temperature, he was curious if future high temperatures would cause only one future sex. In his exploration of the issue, he found these turtles to have some other serious current environmental challenges.

To begin with, development near turtle habitat intrudes upon food availability and nesting sites for females, as they lay their eggs away from the water on the land nearby. American Bullfrogs, a non-native, predate upon the hatchlings, and Red Eared Slider Turtles, also a non-native, compete for basking space and food. These turtles are commonly sold at pet stores without proper instructions and subsequently released by owners thinking they are doing the right thing. They grow twice the size and are more assertive than the Western Pond Turtles, and pretty much take over.

In a partnership with Sonoma County Fish and Wildlife Commission and Sonoma State University, the Head Start program sends Oakland Zoo staff and Sonoma State University students into the wild to collect eggs which are incubated at the university. Once hatched, they are transferred to the zoo to be raised for the first year under optimal conditions. By creating the best possible environment for the turtles, they grow 3-4 times faster than they would in the wild, where they would normally hibernate. At the end of the first year, the juvenile turtles will then be released back into their original lake, having grown too large to be eaten by those pesky bull frogs and the big mouth bass, and able to compete with those bully Red Eared Sliders. They will be bigger, smarter and…head started. Sigh…we will be so proud.

When most of us think of tuna, we think of the can. Maybe we remember “Charlie Tuna” from the old commercials. What many people don’t realize is that these amazing animals are at the pinnacle of fish evolution. Tuna are capable of covering vast distances, traversing the entire Pacific Ocean in a matter of days. They are incredible athletes, described as the “Olympians of the sea.” They are sleek, powerful and oftentimes, massive animals. A bluefin tuna can grow up to 1,500 pounds and 15 feet long. And for generations, they were so abundant it was thought that you could never take all the tuna from the sea. Things change. Our insatiable appetite combined with the technical advances that allow us to over-harvest have pushed tuna to the brink. Scientists are now racing to learn more about these incredible animals in the hope of saving them. Learn more at Tag-A-Giant.

Another species that TOPP (Tagging of Pacific Predators) is tracking is the Leatherback Turtle. Reaching 7 feet long and weighing 2000 pounds, leatherbacks have survived in the world’s oceans for 100 million years. Now they may only have decades left. While sea turtles are not being commercially fished, they still face daunting challenges in the open ocean. They are often accidentally caught and drowned in fisherman’s long-lines and nets. And pollution is also taking a nasty toll. In the water, common plastic bags look very similar to the turtles’ favorite food: jellyfish. The problem is, plastic bags aren’t easy to digest. But the biggest problem the turtles face may be on land. Over harvesting of turtle eggs has long been a problem for sea turtles but now the biggest concern is over development of their nesting beaches. Turtles need a sandy beach to lay their eggs. Unfortunately, people also enjoy vacationing in the same type of places. Humans looking for that seaside getaway are quickly gobbling up the sea turtles nesting grounds. Researchers are now working hard to save these vital nesting grounds to make sure the turtles can survive.

Watch the “Tagging Pacific Predators ” TV Story online, as well as find additional links and resources. Also don’t miss our Web Extra: Tagging Pacific Predators Extended Interview with scientist Barbara Block of the Tuna Research and Conservation Center.

Chris Bauer is a Segment Producer for television on QUEST.