Endangered western painted turtle released by Interior Wildlife Rehabilitation Society
Members of the Interior Wildlife Rehabilitation Society have travelled to Kelowna's Wilden neighbourhood to release an endangered western painted turtle that had been in their care for several weeks after being run over by a car.
'She had a cracked shell, and one of the cracks on her shell in the back end was floating,' said Eva Hartmann, founder of the Interior Wildlfire Society.
The turtle was found on the road near Still Pond in Wilden, and Hartmann says it's important to return the turtle to its original place for many reasons.
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'It's very important that they are only exposed to anything that may be in their home pond, where they are from, and that is exactly where they go back to because we don't want to spread diseases around,' said Hartmann.
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The turtle's home pond is next to a wildlife tunnel built into Wilden. However, not all the animals find their way through it. Like the turtle being released Thursday, some take the road.
'On either side of this road are wetlands, so they're migrating between those ponds to lay their eggs,' said Johanna Eger, Wilden marketing manager.
The society has partnered with developers of Wilden to keep turtles and other wildlife safe.
'We need to be alert, especially with the nesting season right now, with the turtles,' said Jody Crumb, Interior Wildlife Society volunteer.
'If we just slow down, we can give them the chance to cross the road safely, lay their eggs and make their way back in.'
Now that the turtle is back in Still Pond, it can flex its flippers and go on a big swim.
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