Saving Turtles: A Kids' Guide to Helping Endangered Creatures

By Sue Carstairs

A behind-the-scenes look at a hospital for severely injured turtles.

Turtles have been around for 220 million years -- longer than dinosaurs. But now their time might be running out. Of the roughly 300 species worldwide, more than half are threatened with extinction. Freshwater, marine and land turtles are all affected. And their biggest threat is us!

As the human race grows and expands on the planet, turtles are losing their homes, suffering the effects of pollution, the pet and food trade, killed by cars as they try to cross roads, and snared in fishing nets or by fish hooks meant to catch other species. Fortunately, a community of scientists, environmentalists and volunteers around the world are helping to protect and save turtles.

The author, Sue Carstairs, is a veterinarian at a turtle rescue and rehabilitation center. She reveals how she repairs shattered shells, broken jaws, and injured skulls, and nurses severely injured turtles back to health for release into the wild. Carstairs also explains how turtle eggs are harvested from injured mothers, incubated, raised in tanks and released into the wild. Organizations around the world performing similar work with land and sea turtles are also profiled.

What can readers do to help the worldwide effort to save and protect turtles? Two examples from the many offered in the book: participate in World Turtle Day, on May 23rd every year, sponsored by American Tortoise Rescue, and lobby for "turtle crossing" signs in nesting areas.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Firefly Books
• Release date: Sep 2, 2015
• ISBN: 9781770856998

Sue Carstairs

Sue Carstairs

Book preview

Saving Turtles

A Kid’s Guide to Helping Endangered Creatures

Sue Carstairs

Published by Firefly Books Ltd. 2014

Copyright © 2015 Firefly Books Ltd.

Text copyright © 2015 Sue Carstairs

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the Publisher or a license from The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For an Access Copyright license, visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free to 1-800-893-5777.

Publisher Cataloging-in-Publication Data (U.S.)

Carstairs Sue.

Saving turtles : a kid’s guide to helping endangered creatures / Sue Carstairs.

[64] pages :  color photos. ;  cm.  

Includes index.

Summary: Kids’ guide to turtle conservation, and how turtles can continue to survive in our world.

ISBN-13: 978-1-77085-434-5

ISBN-13: 978-1-77085-290-7 (pbk.)

1. Turtles — Juvenile literature.  2. Turtles — Conservation — Juvenile literature. 3. Endangered species — Juvenile literature. I. Title.

597.92 dc23    QL666.C5C3678 2014

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Carstairs, Sue, 1961–, author

Saving turtles : a kid’s guide to helping endangered creatures / Sue Carstairs.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-77085-434-5 (bound).

ISBN 978-1-77085-290-7 (pbk.)

1. Turtles — Juvenile literature.  2. Turtles — Conservation — Juvenile 

literature. I. Title. 

QL666.C5C37 2014

j597.92 C2014-901157-1 

Published in the United States by

Firefly Books (U.S.) Inc.

P.O. Box 1338, Ellicott Station

Buffalo, New York  14205

Published in Canada by

Firefly Books Ltd.

50 Staples Avenue, Unit 1

Richmond Hill, Ontario  L4B 0A7

Cover: LINDdesign

Illustrations: Nick Craine

The publisher gratefully acknowledges the financial support for our publishing program by the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund as administered by the Department of Canadian Heritage.

CONTENTS

A Note from the Author

Introduction

1 1. Getting to Know Turtles

Turtle Facts and Figures

Anatomy of a Turtle

Amazing Turtles

2 2. The Turtle Crisis

Threats to Turtles

A Global Problem

Turtles in Trouble

3 3. Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation

Treating Turtles

Shell Injuries

Other Injuries

Healing and Release

4 4. Headstarting

Harvesting

Incubation

Hatching and Release

Sea Turtles: A Special Case

5 5. Field Research

Following the Headstarters

Protecting Turtles through Research

Efforts around the World

6 6. Education and Conservation

A Good Education

Conservation: A Global Effort

7 7. Get Involved

How to Help Turtles

Glossary

Resources

Here, a new admission is assessed and a surgical plan put into place. With Sue Carstairs, the author (right), is Jennifer, a volunteer with the centre, whose regular job is emergency medicine in humans!

A Note from the Author

When I graduated from veterinary school, my goal was to work in wildlife conservation, combining medicine with conservation. Although I enjoy helping with all wildlife, my work with turtles is perfect for me, as it combines medicine and conservation so well. Turtles are in trouble all over the world. In Ontario alone, seven of the eight species are listed as at risk.  Through the past 200 million years, turtles have survived with little change, and with the same life history. To ensure the continuation of healthy species, they rely on a long life and very low adult mortality. These days, not many eggs make it to hatching, let alone to adulthood! Turtles