Protecting our Precious Peanut
Posted:8/1/2019
Linn
By Meredith Glynn
Linn County Conservation Naturalist Intern
Several rescued animals reside at Wickiup Hill Learning Center, and
every one of them has their own special story, including a recently acquired
painted turtle, Peanut. There are many reasons not to litter or bother the
wildlife and Peanut is a living example of what happens when wildlife is
neglected.
On June 28th, 2019, staff from Pinicon Ridge Park in
Central City received a call that a turtle appeared to be in some trouble.
Peanut was found with a rubber band around his shell.
We do not know if this happened by accident or if it was done intentionally.
This rubber band caused his shell to grow deformed into the shape of… well, a
peanut! Judging from the size he is now and the size of his shell where the
band was, more than likely, the band has been around him for over five years.
If the band had been left, he would not have been able to live a full life, his
shell would not have been able to grow and it would have crushed him.
Not only can rubber bands do this to animals, the
same thing happens when trash like pop bottle rings get stuck around wildlife. That is
why it is recommended to cut the rings of six-pack carriers before they are
thrown away. We are not sure if there is any internal damage, but we hope to
get an X-ray soon. Peanut will stay at the Wickiup Hill Learning Center to help
educate the public on the dangers of plastics and trash on the wildlife. At the
Wickiup Hill Learning Center, we have lots of wild turtles in our wetlands, including
painted turtles. Painted turtles are native to North America, generally living
in marshes, ponds, lakes and creeks. They can often be seen sunbathing on rocks
or aquatic plants. They eat fish, worms, insects, plants, and can live up to 40
years. The shell of a painted turtle is made of bone plates called scutes. As
they grow, they shed their scutes - leaving a ring on the new one.
Come visit Peanut and our other
rescued animals at the Wickiup Hill Learning Center. We hope that everyone will
learn a valuable lesson from what happened to Peanut and be inspired to help protect
the creatures we share this planet with.
We hope to see you soon, and register for a program on September 12 introducing you to Peanut.