Partners in Protection: Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre

The ROM is celebrating Earth Month in April with all things nature through our Partners in Protection: In The Studio program. From wildlife conservation to protected spaces, each weekend in April, you can meet local groups who are leaders in conservation, and also learn about research at the ROM! Join us, and be inspired by each organization's mission to protect the natural world.

On Saturday April 7, and Sunday April 8, 2018 in the Earth Rangers Studio located within the Life in Crisis: Schad Gallery of Biodiversity, meet the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre (OTCC) staff, volunteers and their turtle ambassadors to learn about how they are protecting and conserving Ontario's native turtles and their habitat! 

The Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre is a not-for-profit charitable organization and home of the Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre which provides emergency and rehabilitative care to species of turtles native to Ontario, whether injured or ill, with the goal of releasing them back into their natural habitat. OTCC only accepts species of turtles that are native to Ontario, is a licensed wildlife rehabilitation facility, and a registered charity.

OTCC conducts research, offers specialized workshops for veterinarians and wildlife rehabilitators on treating turtles, and coordinate with over a dozen centres across the province to bring emergency treatment to native Ontario turtles.

Furthermore, with the desire to inspire conservation action through enhanced education, OTCC offers onsite programs at their new Education Centre, as well as conducting outreach to a wide variety of audiences, ranging from elementary school students, to undergraduates, to veterinary students, to cottagers groups.

The OTCC houses a small number of resident “non-releasable” turtles, which they use for educational outreach. One individual was living as a pet in a private home before being turned over and into OTCC’s care. The others are individuals who were found after having been hit by cars, and which suffered injuries that have left them sufficiently debilitated that they would no longer be able to survive in the wild.

*Partners in Protection: In The Studio is a regular event taking place within the Earth Rangers Studio in the Life in Crisis: Schad Gallery of Biodiversity (Level 2). It is an opportunity for organizations interested in biodiversity-, conservation- and sustainability-related issues to connect with visitors at the Royal Ontario Museum through informal presentations, crafts, games, stories, hands-on specimens and/or other activities, suitable for the whole family. Access is free with general admission.