Biologists to release more alligator snapping turtles in Kansas
TOPEKA (KSNT) - Kansas wildlife officials are preparing to release more of a rarely seen species after initial success last year.
Staff with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) released a batch of 40 alligator snapping turtles into their former home range in the Neosho River in September 2024. Now, the KDWP is looking to release more of the turtles to boost their numbers in the Sunflower State.
Daren Riedle, wildlife diversity coordinator with the KDWP, told 27 News staff are working out another release date for early May. Riedle said the KDWP will closely monitor the turtles to see how they react to their new home and keep track of where they go in Kansas.
"It appears some of the turtles have stayed close to their release site, but we didn’t expect them to do much over the winter," Riedle said. "This next year will be the biggie, as last year's turtles will have a full activity season at the new site. No dead turtles have been observed, but two live turtles have been photographed.”
The KDWP tracks the progress of each turtle through the use of special radio tags that allows the agency to keep tabs on where they go after being released. The turtles were reintroduced to Kansas last year after being absent from the state for more than 30 years.
The alligator snapping turtles were brought back to the state as part of the Kansas Aquatic Species Recovery program. You can learn more about this KDWP program by clicking here.
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