A baby McCord’s box turtle was hatched at the Sedgwick County Zoo in Kansas, giving the species hope after going extinct in the wild.
The zoo made the announcement on Facebook over the weekend and included a video clip of the turtle’s hatching.
The post stated, “This successful hatching is not only a first for our Zoo, but an important milestone for conservation as this species is EXTINCT in the wild.”
This was further celebrated on the zoo’s podcast, or zoocast. During the mini-episode dedicated to the hatching, host Emily Bishop noted that this species of box turtle was only officially scientifically documented in 1988 but became critically endangered by the year 2000, and by 2010 none have been seen in the wild.
The Sedgwick County Zoo is home to two adult McCord’s box turtles, a male and a female.
Over the summer the adult turtles mated. This species is known to lay between one and six eggs per clutch and the female produced just a single egg.
It was a delicate order for a rare turtle. But after 90 days of incubation, the baby turtle successfully hatched.
Bishop noted, “Our McCord’s box Turtles are actually not on exhibit. They’re kept in a behind the scenes facility. There are hundreds more animals that call Sedgwick County Zoo home than just the ones you see when you visit.”
“When we’re trying to successfully breed our animals, we often take them off exhibit. This way they can be more closely monitored by zookeepers, and have a little privacy as well,” she added.
Then she went on to explain, “This is the first time Sedgwick County Zoo has bred McCord’s Box Turtles.”
“By successfully breeding McCord’s Box Turtles, SCZ is helping to ensure future generations are able see and learn about these turtles,” she concluded.