Study

Diet of a restocked population of the European pond turtle Emys orbicularis in NW Italy

  • Published source details Ottonello D., Oneto F., Vignone M., Rizzo A. & Salvidio S. (2018) Diet of a restocked population of the European pond turtle Emys orbicularis in NW Italy. Acta Herpetologica, 13, 89-93.

Actions

This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

Action Category

Release captive-bred reptiles into the wild: Tortoises, terrapins, side-necked & softshell turtles

Action Link
Reptile Conservation
  1. Release captive-bred reptiles into the wild: Tortoises, terrapins, side-necked & softshell turtles

    A replicated study in 2016–2017 in two semi-permanent clay ponds in Savona, north-west Italy (Ottonello et al. 2018) found that released captive-bred European pond turtles Emys orbicularis ingauna bred in the wild and that after release they had adapted their diets to eat food that was available to them. Three turtle nests with successfully hatched eggs were observed at one of the release sites in 2017 (year of release not provided). Captive-bred released turtles ate a range of invertebrates, seeds and plant matter in the wild, although they had been fed commercial shrimp pellets and frozen shrimp and fish in captivity (see original paper for details).  Turtles were bred and reared in captivity from 1999 for 2–5 years prior to their release into two sites (year of release not stated in the original paper). Dietary analysis was carried out on droppings from 25 released turtles that were recaptured in June 2016.

    (Summarised by: Katie Sainsbury)

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