Someone illegally dumped more than 150 box turtles at the edge of a river in Cranford NJ July 29, the Cranford Fire Department reported on its Facebook page July 30.
Someone illegally dumped more than 150 box turtles at the edge of a river in Cranford NJ July 29, the Cranford Fire Department reported on its Facebook page July 30. According to the fire department post, local residents, animal control officers and law enforcement were able to retrieve nearly 100 turtles, both native (Eastern box turtles, (Terrapene carolina)) to New Jersey and non native (Three-toed box turtle Terrapene carolina triunguis). The fire department is hoping that the remaining turtles can be found and evaluated by wildlife veterinarians and biologists in hopes that they can be released back into the wild.
“If you find a Box Turtle on your property, please carefully collect it and place in a secure, clean cardboard box or similar container, ideally with a clean towel or paper towels at the bottom. Keep the turtle indoors in a room-temperature, dark room away from household pets or other local wildlife, the fire department wrote on its Facebook page. You can bring the turtles to the Cranford Fire Department at 7 Springfield Ave, between the hours of 9 am to 7 pm and our partners will collect them from there. The turtles will be brought to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for treatment and care.”
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.
Three-toed box turtle
The three-toed box turtle (Terrapene carolina triunguis) is a subspecies of the common box turtle and is found throughout much of the south central United States, including Arkansas, Louisiana, certain regions of Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas as well as Mississippi, Alabama and select areas of Georgia. The three-toed box turtle is also the official reptile of Missouri. The shell of the three-toed box turtle is domed and grows to about 5 to 7 inches in carapace length, with females the larger of the sexes. It is called the three-toed box turtle because its back feet have just three toes, versus four in other box turtles.
Eastern Box Turtle Information
Eastern box turtles might be the most popular box turtles of the Terrapene genus. A subspecies of the common box turtle (Terrapene carolina) the Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) is found throughout much of the eastern United States, as far north as Maine, down to Texas. Although the Eastern box turtle is in the Emydidae family along with terrapins, pond turtles and mud and marsh turtles, the Eastern box turtle is found on land rather than in water.
