Daugavpils to Release Ten Critically Endangered European Pond Turtles
This morning at 10:00, ten five-year-old European pond turtles will be released into the Ruģeļi wetland in Daugavpils as part of a cross-border conservation project. The species is critically endangered in Latvia.
Ten critically endangered European pond turtles (Emys orbicularis) are set to be released into the wild in Daugavpils today. The five-year-old turtles will be freed at the Ruģeļi wetland at 10:00 a.m. to boost the local population of this rare species and strengthen the wetland ecosystem.
The European pond turtle is listed as critically endangered in Latvia's Red Book. The Latvian Museum of Natural History chose it as the Animal of the Year in 2013. These turtles typically live 40 to 60 years, and in rare cases can exceed 100 years.
The release is part of the project "Joint Conservation of Urban Wetland Biodiversity in the Latvian-Lithuanian Cross-Border Region" (UrbUmbrella). The Ruģeļi wetlands are noted for their high diversity of amphibians and reptiles — 16 species found in Latvia have been recorded in the project area, according to the Daugavpils municipality.
To reduce habitat degradation and improve the status of herpetofauna populations, various conservation measures have been developed, including invasive species control, restoration of potential breeding sites, and the release of pond turtles into the wild.
