Unlike many other animals, reproduction for turtles is very slow. The vast majority of turtle eggs and hatchlings do not survive, and despite living for decades, a turtle may only be replaced by a couple of offspring over its lifetime. That's why the Minnesota Zoo's team, led by Tricia Markle, aims to give young wood turtles a head start along the rivers of Minnesota. Markle and her team collect eggs from known nesting areas, bring them back to the zoo, hatch and rear them at the Zoo for a year before returning them into the wild. This gives them adequate time to grow to sustainable size and strength, giving them an advantage and (hopefully) a head start in the wild to prop up the population of wood turtles that reside here in Minnesota.

 

   “My future outlook for wood turtles is both hopeful and concerned.”

- Tricia Markle.