Archives of The Cold Blooded News

The Newsletter of the Colorado Herpetological Society

Volume 31, Number 5;   May, 2004

Hostile Turtles Join Pest List

by Brendan O'Malley

"It's possible they could have the same potential for havoc on our biodiversity as fire ants," Natural Resources project officer Scott O'Keefe said yesterday. "They're rated by the IUCN (World Conservation Union) in the top 100 pests around the world and our own ecologists give it a rating of 13 out of 14 for potential to establish and spread. They have the ability to spread over 80 per cent of Australia based on the climate, including estuaries and other brackish habitats."

Adults grow to 30cm long, are unusually fertile and capable of nasty bites. They can move 1.5km in a night and eat everything from small animals and turtle eggs to aquatic vegetation. Their aggressive nature meant Australia's timid turtles would face annihilation if the red-eared sliders became established. Even fish habitats could be harmed.

About 80 of the turtles have been found so far, some as young as three years old, indicating they were present for up to a decade before wildlife carers noticed something was wrong. Environmental Protection Agency turtle expert Col Limpus said EPA officers contacted Natural Resources after the first report came in. Both agencies, as well as the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service, were now working on ways to wipe out the populations at Mango Hill and Kallangur. Dams were being netted and might have to be drained or filled in and compacted. Local streams were being monitored and residents have been doorknocked and asked to look out for unusual turtles.

"We think there could be up to 20 left," Dr. Limpus said. "We're mapping where the adult females were found so we have a better idea where to look if another generation emerges."