Ontario has 8 species of turtles. All 8 are now listed on the SAR list. “Species at risk” ranging from special concern to endangered. They are as follows: painted turtle, snapping turtle, spiny soft shell, stink pot or musk turtle, spotted turtle, blanding turtle, wood turtle and northern map turtle. Click here for Gallery of Ontario Turtles
Work is being done every day to try to help save our turtles. But one of the biggest things that threaten them other than our roads and loss of habitat is lack of education and human ignorance/cruelty. For some reason turtles are road targets. They may be on the side of the road and people aim at them and run them over on purpose. They shoot them, they trap them. These creatures are helpless to our ways. They are good environmental indicators.
For more information about turtles, click on the following links:
- Jennifer Howard’s article which appeared in August 2019 issue of the Procyon Post
- https://www.peta.org/action/save-help-turtles-cross-road-safely/