Ontario Construction News staff writer
Forty snapping turtles have been rescued by Rutherford Road project construction crew and released in the wetlands surrounding Rutherford Road in the City of Vaughan.
Snapping turtle eggs were discovered while construction workers were working on a road culvert earlier this year. They are identified as a “species at risk” because they are of special concern and may become threatened or endangered due to a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats.
“Due to the quick thinking of all staff involved, these turtles surpassed the expected survival rate of hatching in the wild and should contribute to an increase in the snapping turtle population,” the region said in a news release.
The construction crew located an adult snapping turtle and a nest at the roadside. They fenced off the area, instructing crew members to keep away until a specialist arrived.
It takes 15 to 20 years for a snapping turtle to reach maturity and many do not make it to this age due to environmental factors, predators, habitat disruption or other dangers like vehicles. Eggs are also vulnerable to predators.
After assessing the nest, York Region confirmed it had been disturbed by a predator the night before and the eggs could be carefully removed and relocated.
The facility agreed to hatch the eggs and return them for release in the same sub-watershed where they were found.
“York Region spent more than two hours carefully extracting eggs, making sure to keep them at the same temperature as the earth since a degree or two can alter the sex of the turtle,” the region said. “The eggs were secured in a peat moss-lined container for transport to the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre in Peterborough.”
After some time spent in incubation, the centre agreed to release the turtles back into the surrounding wetlands in the Rutherford Road area.