In Nachusa Grasslands, tiny ornate box turtles share their secrets

FRANKLIN GROVE- The Chicago Zoological Society conducted one of the largest health assessment of box turtles in North America.

The survey took place May 18 at Nachusa Grasslands near Franklin Grove. The park is home to a population of ornate box turtles, a species threatened by human encroachment and the degradation of its natural habitat.

Matt Allender, a clinic veterinarian with the Chicago Zoological Society who also is director of the University of Illinois Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory, was part of the assessment. He has been a part of the research for 16 years.

He and his veterinary students were were assisted by Boykin spaniels, which are specially-trained “turtle dogs.” The dogs are trained to locate box turtles, which are four- to five-inches in length, and can be difficult to spot in tall gasses. On average, the dogs can find about 2.5 turtles per search hour. A trained biologist usually takes about four hours. On this occasion, the dogs — owned by John Rucker — found 15 live turtles.

Once retrieved, the researchers performed a variety health assessments on the turtles. This included drawing blood, taking swabs, and size measurements.

The data is used to establish more effective conservation protocols.

One of the things researchers are looking for are viruses that could affect the already vulnerable turtle population. Right now, ranavirus infections are causing deadly outbreaks among a variety of reptile species.

Since the project began 2006, data has been collected on some 500 ornate box turtles and more than 3,500 eastern box turtles at sites in Illinois and Tennessee.