Endangered MA Turtles Revived In New EcoTarium, MassWildlife Program

WORCESTER, MA — A new collaboration between the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife and the EcoTarium Museum in Worcester is aiming to give local endangered turtles a chance at making a comeback.

The museum recently welcomed a group of Northern red-bellied cooter hatchlings, which will grow in a museum display over the next nine months. The turtles will then be released into the wild as part of a larger MassWildlife program dating to the 1980s to restore Northern red-bellied cooters.

EcoTarium CEO Noreen Johnson Smith said the museum's new turtle "head-starting" initiative is part of a wider mission of conservation dating to the museum's founding in 1825.

MassWildlife has released about 4,800 hatchlings of the species since 1984. The head-starting program helps the endangered turtles regain a foothold in Massachusetts, but also helps educate the public about their role in the ecosystem and about turtle conservation.

The Northern red-bellied cooter turtle population in Massachusetts is unique because the next closest population is located a few hundred miles away in New Jersey. The turtles, which can live up to 50 years, are endangered at both the state and federal level.

The EcoTarium will be sharing updates on the turtle hatchlings over the next nine months on its Instagram and Facebook pages. The hatchlings are also on display at the museum.