The use of equine placenta speeds up the healing of her shell, enabling her to be released much sooner.
An Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina) that came into City Wildlife in Washington, D.C. with a broken shell has been patched up using a special ingredient, equine placenta. The turtle was crossing the road this past August when she was hit by a car. The damage to her shell was on the right side. The strike also exposed the lining of her body cavity, City Wildlife said in a post on X.
While the veterinarians used a variety of medications, bandages and other wound care practices to help her shell heal, they also used equine (horse) placenta from Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue. The cellular material that makes up much of the placenta provided a “scaffolding for the turtle’s cells to move across the wound site.
This expedited the growth of new and healthy cells. What would have taken a little more than a year for the shell to heal took a little over three months. City Wildlife says she will be ready for release in May when the weather warms.
Some Drivers Deliberately Run Over Turtles, Study Shows
“We are SO thankful for our supporters who make success stories like this possible, and for our partnerships with other animal care professionals like Gentle Giants,” City Wildlife said in the tweet on X.
The repaired shell was aided by the use of horse placenta. Photo by City Wildlife. Used with permission
Eastern box turtles are prone to vehicle strikes, but some are intentional. A 2013 Clemson University study found that some drivers deliberately run over turtles when they see them crossing the road. The study involved placing a realistic rubber box turtle on the road and count the number of drivers who delberately ran the turtle over. The study author, then senior Nathan Weaver, counted seven drivers deliberately swerve on the road to run the turtle over. Weaver said more drivers tried to hit the turtle but missed.
The turtle will be released in May 2025. Photo by City Wildlife. Used with permission
Box Turtle Information
Box turtles are widely captive-bred. There are 14 North American species and 12 Asian species. Some of the popular box turtles kept as pets include the eastern box turtle, three-toed box turtle, and the ornate box turtle. Always insist on captive-bred specimens as they will already be accustomed to life in captivity and are generally much healthier than wild-caught specimens.
