The European Pond Turtles (Emys spp.), are endangered species
according to IUCN Redlist criteria, which were previously recorded in the
temporary ponds during the construction activity. Since this temporary pond is
to be filled, the European Pond Turtles need to be transferred to nearest
stream bed. For this reason, the rescue work was carried out on September 1,
2022 without harming the European Pond Turtles during the discharge of the
water in the temporary ponds.
In order to collect the turtles
without harming them a channel was opened to drain the water in the large pond.
The turtles, were collected by hand and placed in a bucket filled with water
while lowering the pond water level in control. Thanks to this rescue, 7
individual turtles, which were released into the nearest creek bed in a
controlled manner, were rescued from the temporary pond where they were
stranded. During the operation, it was observed that some turtles moved towards
the reed beds and hid in the swamp. These hiding individuals, and possibly
those remaining in other small ponds, were recorded in the field during
subsequent observations. The evacuation of other small ponds was interrupted
due to the unsuitable weather conditions on the next day and the operation will
be going on in the near future.