The turtles were rehabilitated before they were released.
Staff with the Phillips Wharf Environmental Center in Tilghman Island, MD have successfully released four juvenile diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) on Tilghman Island. The chelonians were released after a lengthy rehabilitation. They were rescued from what staff called a harmful situation.
“Phillips Wharf was able to treat these conditions in the juveniles and rehabilitate them to a size that would be favorable for their survival in the wild, which is approximately three times the size of when they were brought in,” PWEC Aquaria Manager Sarah Moffat said in a statement released to the media. “Another juvenile terrapin release is planned for fall 2020 for the five hatchlings still in our care.”
The facility is accepting donations and sponsorships to help offset the costs of rehabilitating the reptiles, monies that will go to help pay for medical treatments and prepared diets, habitat improvement projects and improvements to the facility’s outdoor terrapin and turtle rehabilitation center. For more information, visit phillipswharf.org.
Diamondback Terrapin Natural History And Captive Care
Diamondback terrapins are medium-sized turtles that are found in coastal brackish and saltwater marshes in the southeastern and eastern United States. Males grow to about five inches in carapace length while females can reach nine inches in carapace length.
