If you are on the list for turtle adoptions, you may be able to bring your new green friend home soon!
Early this morning, staff from the Front Street Animal Shelter embarked on a turtle rescue effort at McKinley Park pond which involved carefully luring a few reptiles to the surface and carefully placing them in a holding container and transported to the animal shelter. Check out the full video.
The rescue effort will be carried out at various times during the next several weeks. The turtles will be housed at the shelter in a turtle friendly — shell approved — habitat. The animal shelter will be in contact with Sacramento residents who are on the turtle adoption list. For those who are still interested in adoption, please contact 311 (916-264-5011).
City of Sacramento will begin long-anticipated renovations to ponds at both the McKinley and Land Park starting as early as this summer. The goal of the renovations is to make the park amenities both aesthetically pleasing and sustainable from a maintenance standpoint.
City staff has been working for several months handling issues related to both Western Pond and Red-Eared Slider turtles. Red-eared Sliders have been designated as an invasive species by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, as such, they cannot be returned to the ponds upon completion of the renovations.
With significant help from the City’s Front Street Animal Shelter and volunteer organizations like the Northern California Herpetological Society, and input from staff at the Sacramento Zoo, an adoption program has been established for Red-Eared Sliders that will be removed from the pond. Any Western Pond Turtles rescued from the pond will be housed at the Sacramento Zoo.