They're Back! Baby Red-Bellied Cooters Arrive at EcoTarium
MEDIA CONTACT: Sally Anne Giedrys
Communications Manager
sgiedrys@ecotarium.org
(508) 929-2738
WHAT: EcoTarium wildlife staff welcomed their annual fall "class" of Northern red-bellied cooter hatchlings for "overwintering"
WHEN: Please call to arrange if you would like to see the turtles or talk with EcoTarium wildlife staff before the turtles leave on Friday, June 4.
WHERE: EcoTarium, 222 Harrington Way, Worcester
DESCRIPTION: You know that fall has arrived when the red-bellied cooters arrive at the EcoTarium for special care and feeding that will prepare them to survive in the wild.
For more than years, EcoTarium's wildlife staff has participated in a breeding program for endangered Plymouth red-bellied cooters, under the auspices of the Massachusetts Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. This species, formerly known as red-bellied turtles, is found in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. Habitat destruction caused by development and pesticide use has contributed to their endangerment.
EcoTarium's newest crop of hatchlings, each weighing about one ounce and similar in shell diameter to a half-dollar, arrived at the museum on September 28. By the time they leave next spring, they'll have grown to the size of four-to-five-year old turtles during their winter at the EcoTarium.
Researchers have found that red-bellied cooters raised by the EcoTarium's wildlife staff in years past are now successfully reproducing in the wild&emdash; an important step for the recovery efforts of this rare New England species.
EcoTarium is an indoor-outdoor museum dedicated to exploring the natural world. The museum offers three floors of interactive exhibits, wildlife habitats, interpretive nature trails, ponds, an award-winning meadow, a planetarium, and a narrow-gauge railroad. The museum, located at 222 Harrington Way in Worcester, Mass., is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays 12 to 5 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults and $6 for seniors, college students and children ages 3-18. Free parking is available. For information, please call (508) 929-2700 or email info@ecotarium.org.