Animal lovers are being encouraged to come out of their shells and join a project to save WA’s snake-necked turtles.
The City of South Perth has joined forces with Murdoch University and the South West Metropolitan Alliance for the Saving Our Snake Necked Turtle project and people with a love for the natural environment are invited to help.
Many of the city’s wetlands are home to snake-necked turtle populations which are under threat from a combination of predators, such as foxes and ravens, vehicle strikes and lack of suitable nesting habitat.
In June almost 20 snake-necked turtle hatchlings found at Cygnia Cove by Clontarf Aboriginal College students were released at Sandon Park, Salter Point.
City of South Perth mayor Greg Milner said understanding how snake-necked turtles interacted with their environment and how they were affected by human influences was crucial to ensuring their survival.
“Wildlife conservation is one of the most important ways in which we can help to protect the natural environment and the species within it for our future generations,” he said.
An information session about how to become a turtle tracker will be held from 10.30am to noon on Wednesday, August 30, at the South Perth Civic Centre.
“Turtle Trackers” will learn how to track nesting females, protect their nests and log this data on the TurtleSAT app.
To register, visit the City of South Perth website.