Saving endangered turtles and bats focus of new Toronto Zoo partnership

The Toronto Zoo announces a new partnership to preserve biodiversity in the province. CTV's Beth Macdonell reports.

A new partnership at the Toronto Zoo is prioritizing nine Canadian endangered species with the aim of growing of their populations.

A five-year, $3-million joint commitment between the zoo and the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) will allow critical work to continue to save Blanding’s turtles and eight bat species.

The goal is to reverse biodiversity loss which is critical to healthy ecosystems.

Toby Thorne, supervisor of species recovery at Toronto Zoo, compared the importance of preserving species to a well-functioning clock.

“If I start throwing cogs away, then it might work for a bit, but at some point, it’s going to stop working,” said Thorne. “We’re talking about species today, but were talking about preserving biodiversity as a whole, which humans are a part of, and we need that as much as it needs us.”

The funding will help continue a turtle raising program at the zoo that works to restore populations hurt by habitat loss, road deaths, and climate change.

For the past 12 years, staff have been collecting Blanding’s turtles eggs, caring for them while they grow for two years, and releasing them back into the wild.

In the 1990s, Blanding’s turtles were virtually extinct in the Greater Toronto Area spanning Rouge Valley, with zoo staff saying there were probably less than 10 left in area. But now, thanks to the program, the population is growing.

“They are known as the turtles with the sun under their chin,” explained Thorne. “They are green overall like most turtles, but they have this bright piece underneath, and they are a nice, smiley turtle.”

“This commitment is a big deal,” added Toronto Zoo CEO Dolf DeJong.

When it comes to bats, the partnership is allowing for more research on eight species in Ontario. Seven of those eight bat species are endangered.

“Bats play a critical ecological role, whether it’s hunting insects at night,” DeJong said. “[They are] a key piece of the balance, and if you lose one piece, and you lose that balance, I think people only realize the impact of that balance when it’s gone.”

DeJong said diverse ecosystems are strong ecosystems, and the partnership will help Blanding’s turtles and the eight bat species not only survive, but thrive.