More than two months after scores of turtles abandoned along a Union County riverbank began arriving at the Mercer County Wildlife Center in Hopewell Township, their rescue has entered a new phase: preparing for winter.
The Wildlife Center said Saturday that it has now received 219 turtles connected to the July dumping in Cranford, up from about 190 being cared for when MercerMe last reported on the rescue in early August.
With colder weather approaching, the center is building two outdoor enclosures where many of the turtles will be able to spend the winter following the same seasonal cycle they would experience in the wild.
The staff has given the new enclosures an appropriate name: “Brumation Stations.”
Brumation is the reptile equivalent of hibernation. As temperatures fall, turtles become much less active, eat less and burrow into soil, leaves and other natural cover.
During that period, the center explained, turtles’ bodies can produce and tolerate high levels of glucose, which acts much like a natural antifreeze and helps protect their cells and organs from freezing.
“For healthy turtles, allowing them to follow this natural seasonal cycle is an important part of rehabilitation and can help prepare them for eventual release back into the wild,” the Wildlife Center wrote in its Oct. 3 update.
The center hopes to begin moving turtles into the new enclosures as early as this week.
A rescue that continued to grow
The unusual rehabilitation effort began July 29, when a Cranford resident discovered dozens of turtles abandoned along a riverbank. New Jersey Fish & Wildlife officers responded, and turtles began arriving at the Wildlife Center on River Road in Titusville.
The numbers continued climbing in the days and weeks that followed. By Aug. 7, the center had received about 190 turtles. Four days later, it reported receiving 194 and said another six were expected.
The growing population also required help beyond the Wildlife Center.
In its Aug. 11 update, the center said 70 turtles had been transferred to Nautilus Veterinary Specialists for treatment and temporary housing. That group included some of the more seriously ill turtles as well as non-native turtles requiring specialized care.
The other 124 turtles at the Wildlife Center were eating, acclimating to their surroundings and receiving continuing care, according to the center.
That same update included information about how New Jersey Fish & Wildlife joined veterinarians and veterinary technicians from the Philadelphia Zoo and Rowan University’s Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine at the center to collect swabs and blood samples for disease and genetic testing.
The center said at the time that the testing would help determine appropriate long-term care and, where possible, plans for eventually releasing the animals.
The Wildlife Center’s latest update does not provide the results of that testing or say how many of the 219 turtles are currently housed at the Hopewell Township facility versus elsewhere.
Preparing for winter
For those remaining at the center through the colder months, creating appropriate outdoor habitat has become the next challenge.
The Brumation Stations are being constructed with assistance from the Mercer County Park Commission and supplies purchased with donations.
The center specifically thanked Chris, Karen and Drew Borek for financial support helping make the winter enclosures possible, along with staff, volunteers and other donors who have supported the rescue since July.
The project has required food, specialized supplies and veterinary care for a population that ultimately grew considerably larger than initially anticipated.
“The needs of 219 turtles are ongoing, and donations help provide food, supplies, veterinary care, and everything needed to keep them healthy through the winter,” the center said.
The long-term goal remains rehabilitation and, when possible, returning turtles to the wild.
The Wildlife Center said donations to support their continuing care can be made through its nonprofit partner, Wildlife Center Friends.
