Turtle Resue
You may have been a part of, or maybe read in a newspaper, the rescue of the turtles of the lagoon on Thursday 30th January and Saturday 1st of February, 2003. For many months leading up to these two dates the water in the lagoon had been fast disappearing because of the severe drought conditions that had been gripping Australia. This disappearing water caused the many turtles who called the lagoon home to find refuge in two small remaining pools. As well as contending with a severely reduced habitat the turtles were also starving to death because all of their food (in the form of aquatic plants) had disappeared and they were eating the metre-thick peaty black ooze to try and survive.
Brisbane City Council, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS), Queensland Turtle Conservation Volunteers and local volunteers, rallied together to rescue over 1200 turtles.
As reported by Dr Col Limpus of QPWS, four turtle species were recorded during the rescue. These were:
- Brisbane short-necked turtle, Emydura signata (n=1215)
- Broad-shelled turtle, Chelodina expansa (n=15)\
- Sawshell turtle, Elseya latisternum (n=14)
- Unidentified snapping turtles, Elseya sp. (n=6)
The turtles were relocated to Nudgee Waterholes, Harold Keilly Park (Bracken Ridge), Canterbury Lagoons (Bald Hills), Pinnaroo Lawn Cemetery and North Pine Dam. By rehabilitating the lagoon hopefully this situation will not happen again and the remaining turtles will have a sustainable environment to live in.
