Stolen Endangered Turtles Found After Missing From Zoo

Endangered turtles believed to have been stolen from their zoo enclosure have been found.

The Dudley Zoo Spokesperson announced on Monday that the two male Coahuilan Box Turtles, Mel and Stevie, were found by a member of the public about three miles away from a Tipton play area, BBC News reported.

On Saturday morning, zookeepers discovered that the two turtles were missing from their exhibit and that their enclosure lock was broken.

"We're overjoyed to announce the safe return of our two Coahuilan Box Turtles. A huge thank you to everyone who shared our social media posts and helped us retrieve them so quickly," Dudley Zoo said as quoted by the Birmingham World.

They have been checked by a veterinarian and appear to be unharmed. However, they will be off-show next week while under quarantine.

Targeted Theft

The zoo management believes that the incident is a targeted theft as they are the only zoo in the United Kingdom with a collection of exotic animals.

Dudley Zoo said they would launch a full review of the security in the Reptile House.

"The exhibit is accessed from the front public corridor and staff found the lock had been damaged," they added.

The Coahuilan Box Turtle is a small exotic reptile species that spends most of its time in the water and is only found in the wild in Mexico.

These turtles required specialist care, including a special diet and heating.

West Midland Police as well as the National Wildlife Crimes Unit were investigating the incident.

The management installed extra bolts and window locks to ensure the safety of the exhibit, and staff were tasked with monitoring the area until security work is completed.

Endangered Animals

Richard Brown, a zoo curator, expressed concern that the turtles were stolen because of their endangered status and were facing threats of illegal collection and poaching.

The population of Coahuilan box turtles has been reduced by over 40 percent in the last 50 years. From 10,000, their numbers dropped to less than 2,000.

There is also a decline in the populations of Western box turtles and Eastern box turtles that are native to the United States.

Protect Box Turtles

Conservation alone is not enough to stop the declining population of box turtles, but here are some ways to help protect the turtles, as reported by One Green Planet.

Do not remove wild box turtles from their natural habitat.

- As cliché as it may seem, this is a very important thing to do.

Do not return pet box turtles to the wild.

- Returning pet turtles to the wild can spread diseases among turtles. Contact a wildlife rescue center instead if you can no longer care for your pet turtle

Help a turtle trying to cross a road.

- This normally happens during the mornings of autumn and spring, when box turtles migrate before and after hibernation, so be a friend to them and help them cross the road.