August 11th, 2025Hepburn Wildlife Shelter

Turtles

As anyone who has lived in Daylesford knows, this town is a very popular tourist destination.
Recently a family from the eastern suburbs of Melbourne came to stay for a long weekend. They were enjoying a walk when to their delight they spotted a turtle crossing the road.
Their delight soon turned to horror as a car came hurtling around a corner and hit the turtle. They gently picked up the injured turtle, wrapped it in a jumper and took it to the local vet.
The turtle was x-rayed to see if she was gravid (carrying eggs), which she was, and the Hepburn Wildlife Shelter was contacted.
The turtle was badly injured, and at the Hepburn Wildlife Shelter, sadly, she did not survive her injuries. But before she died, she laid 20 eggs.
Gayle Chappell, from the shelter, says that car strike is a big issue for turtles. They seek to lay their eggs in moist warm places which, these days are often the sides of roads.
Female turtles being run over by cars is a very threatening issue for turtles as the potential for hundreds of hatchlings is also lost with the female. Injured females are always x-rayed to see if they are gravid and will often need assistance to lay their eggs. If the mother cannot be saved the eggs will be retrieved from her body.
The turtle eggs were placed in a specialised incubation chamber. It took two to three months of incubation at a specific humidity to hatch the turtles and under the expert care of Jon and Gayle, the eggs hatched, and the young turtles have now hibernated for the winter.
They are independent once they hatch, but because of the time of year they will be protected throughout winter in the safety of the shelter. This will give them a fighting chance of survival and when they are old enough, they will be released into a more natural habitat.
In Victoria we have three native freshwater turtles, the Eastern Long-Necked turtle, the Broad-Shelled turtle and the Murray River turtle.
This was a long-necked turtle, these turtles sometimes travel between waterways when one dries out. They can live up to 50 years and are carnivorous, feeding on insects, frogs, tadpoles and yabbies.
Please consider these animals as you drive around our country roads.

Dr Marita McGuirk is a field ecologist and environmental scientist, and a volunteer at the Hepburn Wildlife Shelter. Marita writes monthly columns about the shelter and the animals it cares for. If you would like to donate or volunteer, or just to find out more information, head to www.hepburnwildlifeshelter.org