Remarkable discovery near Olsztynek. Foresters rescued 23 European pond turtle eggs

Foresters from the Olsztynek Forest District discovered 23 European pond turtle eggs. All of them were secured, and once the hatchlings emerge, they will be returned to their natural habitat. This is a valuable discovery because the European pond turtle is the only native turtle species in Poland, with its population estimated at just around 1,000 individuals.

How were the European pond turtle eggs rescued?

The European pond turtle eggs were found by chance. While working in the Bagno Nadrowskie Nature Reserve within the Olsztynek Forest District in northeastern Poland, foresters noticed a female turtle laying eggs, according to Poland’s State Forests National Forest Holding. The clutch was record-breaking, containing as many as 23 eggs. Females usually lay between 14 and 15 eggs.

Specialists from the Regional Directorate of State Forests in Olsztyn decided that the safest solution was to move the eggs to a secure location. The female had laid them on the edge of a road, where they could easily have been destroyed accidentally. The entire operation had to be carried out with extreme care to avoid damaging the developing embryos.

The eggs were placed in an incubator under the supervision of an expert. The young turtles are expected to hatch in about three months. Once they do, they will be released back into the Bagno Nadrowskie Nature Reserve.

European pond turtle protected since 1935

The European pond turtle is listed in both the Polish and the European Red Data Books as an endangered species. It has been legally protected in Poland since 1935. It is found mainly in Polesie National Park and the Lublin Polesie region, but also occurs in the Masurian Lake District, Western Pomerania, the Lubusz region, and Greater Poland.

The main reason for the decline of European pond turtles in Poland is the destruction of their habitats through the drainage of wetlands and peat bogs, as well as the pollution and filling in of small ponds. To prevent this, their habitats are protected throughout the year under special conservation zones. Breeding sites and regularly occupied areas are protected within a 200-meter radius, which is extended to 500 meters during the breeding season. Within these zones, disruptive activities such as tree felling or drainage work using heavy machinery are prohibited, as are camping and fishing.

Protected zones are not the only measure used to increase the population of this endangered reptile. Polesie National Park is home to the European Pond Turtle Conservation Center, where eggs from late clutches or threatened nests are collected and protected. They are incubated, and the hatchlings are later released into the wild. Around 250 European pond turtles are successfully reintroduced each year through this program.

European pond turtles and invasive turtle species – why are they a threat?

The European pond turtle is Poland’s only native turtle species. However, other turtle species can also be found in the country. These include invasive pond sliders – red-eared, yellow-bellied, and Cumberland sliders – that escaped from captivity or were deliberately released by their owners despite a strict legal ban. As a result, they can now be found in urban parks and forests.

Invasive turtle species have no natural predators in Poland, allowing them to spread more easily than European pond turtles. They threaten native wildlife by transmitting diseases to which local species have little or no resistance. European pond turtles are also threatened by invasive predators, particularly the American mink and the raccoon.

At first glance, rescuing 23 European pond turtle eggs may not seem especially significant. In reality, however, for such a vulnerable population, every successfully protected egg or nest can make a meaningful difference.