Funding from the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) has helped to secure the release of 10 endangered Bellinger River Snapping Turtles back into the wild near Bellingen on the Mid North Coast.
Minister for the Environment, Matt Kean said the release of the turtles was an essential step in ensuring the future of the species.
“Putting the turtles back is only part of the puzzle,” Mr Kean said.
“Strong partnerships remain crucial to recovering this species,” he said.
Mr Kean said the turtle species was considered one of Australia’s most critically endangered and had been in a “fight for survival” since 2015 when a virus devastated 90 per cent of its population.
He said the juvenile turtles had come from the Taronga Conservation Society, which was able to increase its population to 80 after 16 healthy turtles were placed into the zoo’s conservation breeding program.
“Work to save the Bellinger River Snapping Turtle was made possible with $300,000 from DPIE’s Saving our Species program.”
“DPIE is continuing its research into the virus which threatened the species, while community organisations, the Bellingen Riverwatch citizen science program and Bellinger Landcare are carrying out water quality monitoring and riverside habitat restoration,” Mr Kean said.
