One event takes center stage yearly at the Toledo Zoo in Toledo, Ohio. It is the only time that hunting is permitted on the property, but the hunters do not carry weapons. It’s the annual Native Turtle Roundup, which allows the herpetologists to give each turtle a checkup.
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Volunteers and zoo staff come together to scour the turtle enclosure to find every turtle. The enclosure is home to aquatic and land turtles native to the area. Personnel must check every inch, dig through dry leaf piles, and reach into the pond. When they find a turtle, they place it in a bin to await a checkup.
Staff uses the annual roundup, which takes several days, to deep clean the enclosure and change out the pond water. The pond also houses fish, which leads to one of the day’s highlights: watching the herpetologist fetch turtles jump whenever something touches him under the water.
The reptile and amphibian specialists will examine each turtle in the enclosure. Turtles can be pretty good at hide-and-seek, so turtle checkup time is always fun.
Volunteers must find the teeny-tiny baby turtles who will receive their first checkup. These can range from one inch (newly hatched) to three inches (one and two-year-old) measured across the bottom of the shell.
The annual turtle round-up accomplishes many tasks. Herpetologists check each turtle, the enclosure is thoroughly cleaned and refreshed, and volunteers and staff have fun hunting for these elusive animals. The turtle checkup also allows them to count the turtles — this year, there are 64!
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