The Office of Environment and Heritage has released 10 critically endangered Bellinger River Snapping Turtles to their natural habitat on the Mid-North Coast to help secure the species’ future in the wild.
The program is part of the Office’s $100 million Saving our Species fund.
Minister for the Environment, Matt Kean said the program was providing a lifeline for one of the world’s rarest turtle species after a freak virus wiped out about 90 per cent of the population within three months in 2015.
“Before the disease outbreak, we estimate there were up to 4,500 of these freshwater turtles living in the Bellinger Catchment — the only place they’re found on earth,” Mr Kean said.
“About 20 virus-free turtles were able to be collected from the river for a captive breeding program at Taronga Zoo in an effort to try to secure a future for this species and improve the environment for our future generations.”
He said in the first year of the captive breeding program, 22 healthy turtles hatched, with another 31 healthy turtles hatching last year.
“The number one goal of Saving our Species is to secure the future of threatened plants and animals in NSW so they can live safely in their natural habitat,” Mr Kean said.
“This project in the Bellinger River shows that, with strong community support and partnerships, we can make real positive change to our threatened species.”
He said a team would closely monitor the 10 turtles with the hope of releasing many more in the future.
