Once common in the Puget Sound region, by 1990, only 150 western pond turtles remained in Washington State, and nearly all of those were in Klickitat and Skamania counties in the Columbia Gorge.

Species Survival through Head-starting
To recover this highly endangered species, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Woodland Park Zoo teamed up to create a "head-start" program, where turtle eggs are taken from certain sites, hatched and the young raised until they are an adequate size for re-release. Control of introduced predators and habitat enhancement efforts are ongoing where western pond turtle populations are found. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has acquired land in Klickitat County that supports the largest surviving western pond turtle population in the state.

The captive breeding program at Woodland Park Zoo has produced 58 turtles for release into suitable Washington habitat, and a total of more than 1,000 head-start juvenile turtles have been released back to the wild in Puget Sound locations and the Columbia Gorge. A new population is also being established at a site in the Columbia Gorge.

The total number of western pond turtles in known Washington populations is estimated at only 1,250 individuals, approximately 80-85% of which went through the head-start program at Woodland Park Zoo. Oregon Zoo is now also participating in the head-start program.

How You Can Help

1. Learn more about the project online or by visiting Woodland Park Zoo.
2. Have you seen a western pond turtle in the wild? Email webkeeper@zoo.org with a description or photo of the turtle and information on where and when you saw it.
3. Donate to the cause and other Woodland Park Zoo conservation projects.