Patient Success Story
Events like The Wild Ball help ensure that TWC is able to care for patients, like this Blanding's Turtle, that need emergency medical care and may need a year or more of rehabilitation before they can be released. 7 of 8 turtle species in Ontario are considered to be species at risk.
Patient Update: A badly injured Blanding's Turtle was brought to the centre last year. He had limited use of his hind legs and tail and the lower portion of his shell had been broken into seven jagged pieces.
Using a combination of metal hooks, wire and a metal plate, veterinary staff painstakingly pieced his shell back together. In time, and after several surgeries, the fragments fused and today his shell is almost as strong as it was before-with a few extra ridges and some impressive-looking scars. The damage to his shell was so severe that it did not heal in time for a pre-winter release in 2009.
Instead, the Blanding's Turtle spent the next year at the centre, being fed his natural diet of crayfish, snails, worms, berries and leafy greens. We are happy to report that he was released back to the wild on August 29th, 2010.
After
