Biologists have been working for three decades on a recovery project for the Illinois-endangered Blanding’s turtle, whose numbers were declining due to an increase in predators and habitat destruction.
In May, another fungus killed endangereda popular fixture at Montrose Beach for the three previous summers. But that fungus is different from the kinds found in turtles, snakes and bats, said Karen Terio, chief of the University of Illinois Zoological Pathology Program, who works with Allender.
“All the stakeholders are on the same page. We’re working to save the turtles,” said Allender. His team tests turtles, snakes and other reptiles for signs of disease in a state program called Wellness of Wildlife. The species was listed as endangered by the state in 2009 because it had declined significantly in abundance and distribution and was dependent upon a rare and vulnerable habitat.
Brad Semel, a biologist and endangered species specialist with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, releases a 9-month-old Blanding's turtle into a swampy area of Chain O'Lakes State Park on June 15, 2022, in Spring Grove.in McHenry and DuPage counties. Biologists don wading boots and collect females at egg-laying time, being careful not to harm them. They bring the females to a lab to lay eggs and then return them to the wild.
Allender said his team has been testing Blanding’s turtles for different diseases for the past six years. In winter, they decided to test samples they had taken from turtles in the wild over the past few years for the newly emerged fungus.
“We are looking to see which of these methods of filtration might be best not only to reduce the fungus levels but also to promote overall turtle health,” Terio said. But they need to be careful not to create a completely sterile environment, which Terio said is “often not a healthy one.”
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