Summary on Headstarting Turtles – Is it a valid strategy for wildlife rehabilitators?
“Headstarting Turtles – Is it a valid strategy for wildlife rehabilitators?” is a critical examination of headstarting aspects that directly impact the physical and psychological development of hatchling turtles. It concluded that “Wildlife rehabilitators should not undertake headstarting projects on their own. Headstarting, if used at all, should only be attempted as part of a controlled research study conducted within scientific parameters. Without careful study, research, controls and knowledge, headstarting can physiologically and psychologically harm hatchlings, and potentially endanger wild populations.” The point is that the average wildlife rehabilitator does not have the time, staff, resources, and support to do the controlled scientific research and follow-up necessary to ensure that headstarted turtles suffer no harm.
All three projects mentioned by Ms. Bogart are part of controlled research studies with resources far beyond the average rehabilitator. The first two projects, The Western Pond Turtle Project in Washington, and The National Recovery Plan for Blandings Turtles in Nova Scotia have been successful because of the amount of planning, financing, and personnel that have contributed to those projects.
Both projects did years of research on natural history, habitat requirements and status, population dynamics, factors affecting continued survival, and conservation status. This careful research led to written comprehensive plans documenting recovery goals, objectives, strategies, tasks, and implementation schedules. They also tackle species recovery on many levels: captive breeding, headstarting, predator control, habitat protection, law enforcement, and public education. The two plans involve biologists, trained volunteers, geneticists, zoo personnel, conservation officers, public educators, universities, and museums. The budget for the first four years of the Western Pond Turtle Project was over $247,000. Can the average wildlife rehabilitator provide these levels of research, personnel, funding, and follow up?
The third project has also been successful. Kathy Michell is a biologist, as well as a wildlife rehabilitator, and works extensively on herpetological telemetry studies. Ms. Michell’s work is part of a scientific study and she has devoted over 11 years to studying rehabilitated and headstarted turtles. Her research includes headstarting, habitat monitoring, radio-tracking individual turtles, collecting and correlating the data she discovers, and presenting her findings at rehabilitation, herpetological, and conservation conferences. Ms. Michell specializes in reptiles and has carefully done follow-up studies on all the turtles she has headstarted. Can the average wildlife rehabilitator provide this level of research and follow up?
Ms. Bogart says “I have chosen not to respond to most of the reasons discouraging headstarting that are presented by the author. While they are very important husbandry and nutritional considerations, I feel these topics are more appropriate/relevant in a paper designed around turtle care-taking, not the legitimacy of headstarting.”
The issues of husbandry and nutrition are much more than “turtle care-taking” – they are at the very heart of the headstarting debate as it relates to wildlife rehabilitators. Does headstarting help or hurt hatchlings? Mistakes in feeding and husbandry can result in weak and habituated turtles whose chances of survival are actually lessened by headstarting attempts. Headstarting, if used at all, must include research, planning and follow up, so the effects of headstarting efforts can be measured.
Ms. Bogart expressed her opinion that “Headstarting by rehabbers is not highly manipulative.” Headstarting subjects hatchlings to an artificial environment, human handling, unnatural food, shallow water, crowded conditions, artificial light sources, and generally disrupts their natural behavior and development. This is, in my opinion, the ultimate manipulation of a wild animal.
The original conclusion remains: The research, planning, and expense required for complete headstarting projects is beyond the resources of most rehabilitators. Without that research, planning and follow-up, headstarting is just a web of guesses. If the guesswork is wrong, the turtles are the ones that pay the price.