The Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre in Peterborough is calling for more volunteers as the number of injured turtles across the province continues to rise.
The centre operates as both a hospital and rehabilitation facility, caring for Ontario’s freshwater turtles and supporting conservation efforts through education, research, and hatchling programs.
Lisa Browning, Education Coordinator at the centre, says the hospital has seen a surge in turtles needing care.
Turtles arrive from all over Ontario, often transported by volunteers in the centre’s “Turtle Taxi” program. Once at the centre, trained veterinarians and technicians treat injuries and rehabilitate the animals with the goal of returning them to the wild.
Browning says Turtle Taxi drivers transport injured turtles to the centre, while other volunteers help return healed turtles to their original habitats.
Volunteers play a key role in making this work possible, especially with transporting the turtles, but Browning says in-house help is also crucial, with volunteers assisting with tasks such as feeding and cleaning tanks.
Browning adds that education and outreach are also major components of the centre’s mission. Volunteers help at events, school visits, and virtual tours, teaching the public about the challenges turtles face, including habitat loss and road mortality.
Volunteers can choose their level of commitment. In-house feeding and cleaning shifts typically require a weekly 3 to 4-hour commitment, while turtle taxi and education volunteers can participate as their schedules allow.
The centre recently opened a new facility at 2785 Television Rd. in Peterborough, allowing for more on-site events, improved care, and the potential for expanded volunteer opportunities, which Browning anticipates may include landscaping and trail work.
As a registered charity, the centre relies heavily on donations, fundraisers, and gift shop sales to support its work, and getting more people involved is key to helping turtles recover and return to their vital role in Ontario’s wetlands.
For anyone interested in volunteering with the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre, Browning says the best way to connect is by e-mailing volunteer@ontarioturtle.ca.
(Written by: Scott Arnold)
