{"id":223801,"date":"2025-10-25T01:26:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-25T01:26:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/223801\/"},"modified":"2025-10-25T01:26:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T01:26:15","slug":"researchers-report-progress-in-effort-to-boost-polands-only-native-turtle-species","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/223801\/","title":{"rendered":"Researchers report progress in effort to boost Poland\u2019s only native turtle species"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team<\/a> and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Biologists at the University of \u0141\u00f3d\u017a have reported initial success in their programme to raise European pond turtles \u2013 the only species of turtle native to Poland \u2013 with the aim of reintroducing them into the wild in the region, where they are believed to be extinct.<\/p>\n

In an update issued on Wednesday regarding their efforts to \u201crestore the king of Polish waters\u201d, the researchers revealed that all 50 of the turtles they reared last year have survived. In the wild, only around 1% of hatchlings survive due to predation.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

It represents a major step in a long-term project to restore European pond turtles in \u0141\u00f3d\u017a province, where they are considered extinct. Around 150 turtles are expected to be released into two landscape parks in the province over the coming years.<\/p>\n

The programme, run jointly by the \u0141\u00f3d\u017a Orientarium Zoo and several regional institutions, raises young turtles in controlled yet naturalistic conditions to protect them from predators during their most vulnerable early years.<\/p>\n

The hatchlings are brought to the zoo from Polesie National Park in eastern Poland, where a successful breeding programme has helped establish the country\u2019s largest European pond turtle population, estimated at around 1,500.<\/p>\n

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They then spend three years in specially prepared indoor enclosures designed to mimic natural conditions while keeping out threats such as foxes and raccoons<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The turtles are exposed to fluctuating temperatures, sunlight and natural UVB, and must find food themselves \u2013 measures designed to maintain their instincts for survival in the wild.<\/p>\n

Two cohorts of 50 turtles have already been brought to the zoo, in September 2024 and September 2025. The first group has achieved a 100% survival rate, with the university reporting that the turtles \u201chave grown significantly and are in excellent condition.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBigger equals safer,\u201d the university\u2019s department of biology wrote in a Facebook post. \u201cBreeding allows the young to grow larger, which dramatically increases their chances of survival once released into the wild.\u201d<\/p>\n

A North American snapping turtle was discovered in a Polish village.<\/p>\n

It shows signs of living in the wild for a long time, meaning it may be one of the turtles brought to Poland 25 years ago by a Pole living in the US who wanted to \u201cenrich\u201d the wildlife https:\/\/t.co\/Qle1Z0ArCV<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Notes from Poland \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf1 (@notesfrompoland) March 31, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n

Once common across central Poland, the European pond turtle declined sharply due to habitat loss, water pollution, wetland drainage and predation by invasive species. The turtles were placed under strict protection as early as 1935 and are now threatened with extinction.<\/p>\n

The long-term goal of the project is to rebuild self-sustaining wild populations and restore the species\u2019 presence in the region.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe European pond turtle has disappeared from our region mainly due to human activity \u2013 wetland drainage, pollution and predation. Now, by joining forces, we have a chance to reverse this trend,\u201d said the department of biology.<\/p>\n

Fourteen lynx cubs have been born as part of a reintroduction programme in Poland to boost numbers of the endangered species https:\/\/t.co\/Y5eZpOyOyv<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/RccjRPpAv8<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Notes from Poland \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf1 (@notesfrompoland) September 14, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n

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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team<\/a> and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Main image credit: University of \u0141\u00f3d\u017a<\/a><\/p>\n

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Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She previously worked for Reuters.<\/p>\n

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