The monitoring of European Pond Turtles (Emys orbicularis) and ornamental sliders (Trachemys scripta) continues
26.04.2023
On Saturday, April 22, we concluded the second monthly monitoring of European Pond turtles and the capture of non-native ornamental sliders. The monitoring is carried out within the framework of the LIFE Urca PROEMYS project. We caught and tagged 60 individuals of marsh turtles, but did not catch any non-native ornamental sliders.
In the ditch near the Fontaniggeah airport, we encountered two adult female marsh turtles that were considerably damaged on the upper and lower sides of the shell. The edge of the upper shell was freshly bitten, and there were visible bite marks on the shell. In the past, we have already encountered damaged individuals, which were mostly caused by foxes and were not as extensive (missing claws, part of the tail, small marks on the shell...). Therefore, this time we were not indifferent to this type of damage, which we also disinfected, as it was certainly caused by a jackal. Jackals were not present in the past, they only appeared occasionally, but in the last two years, they have been living here and breeding. Since the population at Fontaniggeah is considered successful, with many young individuals (including juveniles), we are concerned about the future and survival of this population of marsh turtles, as jackals can easily prey on smaller individuals.
Parco Lombardo della Valle del Ticino
Ljubljansko barje Landscape Park
Parchi Emilia Centrale
Museum of Natural History
University of Pisa
Sečoveljske Soline Landscape Park
WWF Italy
Cesbin
#Eubiodiversity #LIFEprogramme #LIFEproject #LIFEprojects #Natura2000
