Juvenile Western Painted Turtle - only 2 inches long!

Although local populations of western painted turtles tend to be healthy, they are considered a species at risk because they live in places that are also coveted by humans.  A pristine lake is a desirable place to build a cabin or house.  When the entire lake becomes surrounded by development, the endemic turtles have no place to lay their eggs.  The population goes into decline due to natural attrition, but also from losses attributed to the invasion by humans.

Education plays a large part in helping maintaining wild populations.  Children should be taught to respect them and adults to foster a respect for all wildlife.  As a teenager, I remember some friends of my cousin who would go into the bush to shoot birds.  Catching snakes was always a fun past time, but such interactions can lead to stress on the animals.  Turtles are no different and need distance and respect in order to continue thriving.

Western painted turtles are the only turtle native to British Columbia.  Although their numbers are currently good, they are at risk from numerous fronts.  Add to that the fact that red-eared turtles (sliders) are found in many of their habitats and are competing with the native species for food, nesting sites, and space.  I wrote a blog on red-eared turtles existing in painted turtle habitat earlier, you can see that post here.

I saw a pair of juvenile western painted turtles while visiting Creston BC yesterday.  There were quite a few adults around, and I saw numerous nesting sites that were fenced off to protect the young from predators.  It was the first juveniles I have ever seen.  It was wonderful.

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com