{"id":2698,"date":"2020-06-14T07:03:40","date_gmt":"2020-06-14T07:03:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/?p=2698"},"modified":"2020-06-14T07:05:10","modified_gmt":"2020-06-14T07:05:10","slug":"endangered-turtles-find-home-in-israeli-sewage-plant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/en\/animal_plants\/endangered-turtles-find-home-in-israeli-sewage-plant\/","title":{"rendered":"Endangered Turtles Find Home in Israeli Sewage Plant"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Endangered turtles in Israel\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5gw6BTHCdMs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The turtles in question are African softshell turtles or <em>Trionyx triunguis, <\/em>an endangered species found mainly in Central and West Africa, along the Nile as well as in the Middle East. In Israel, African softshell turtles are found mainly along the coastal streams. In ancient times the turtle family included hundreds of species that thrived around the world. Today there are only 22 species left. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\nInternational Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the African softshell\nturtle as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iucnredlist.org\/species\/62256\/96894956\">Vulnerable<\/a>. The species faces many threats,\nincluding poaching, environmental destruction, loss of habitat, and pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the\nearly 1970s, the situation of the softshell turtles in Israel was very severe\ndue to river pollution and accelerated development, which is why the late\nIsraeli zoologist Heinrich Mendelssohn initiated their relocation to the Hula Nature\nReserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since then, the species\u2019 condition has improved around the coastal streams. However, the fact that an entire colony of softshell turtles thrives in an unexpected place like a wastewater treatment plant is still a very unusual and positive event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-05-05-at-11.38.31-1024x768-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2705\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-05-05-at-11.38.31-1024x768-1.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-05-05-at-11.38.31-1024x768-1-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-05-05-at-11.38.31-1024x768-1-768x576.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the African softshell turtle as Vulnerable. Photo by ZAVIT<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>An Unusual\nHome<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\npresence of the turtles at the site is not news, but recently new nesting\nplaces have been observed. This is a sign that the turtles do not only enjoy\nwading through the purified sewage water but are also concerned about the\ncontinuity of their species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Throughout\nthe years, we knew that there were softshell turtles at the sewage plant, but\nit was only when the Nature and Parks Authority began a survey along the\ncoastal streams that we realized that plant is home to a whole colony of\nturtles that also breed,&#8221; says Gadi Boord, of the Yarkon River Authority.\n&#8220;It is a big thing that here, in a wastewater treatment plant, a globally\nendangered species has not only found shelter but has been breeding and\nsurviving for many years,&#8221; he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the plant, the turtles reside next to one of\nthe purified effluent pools, where water is of irrigation-use quality (&#8220;secondary\ntreatment&#8221;).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Before we designated a place for the animals inside the plant, they would enter empty ponds, which left them, and especially their eggs exposed to predators such as crows, mongoose, and jackals roaming the area,&#8221; says Izik Tamam, director of the Palgey Sharon wastewater treatment plant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;In order to keep turtles away from the\nempty ponds, we covered them with nets and built a little enclosure for the animals\nnear the effluent pool,&#8221; Tamam continues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;In addition to the turtles, different kinds of bird species come to us throughout the year, like ducks, seagulls, and spur-winged lapwings. You can also find water plants here like Potamogeton, which is an indicator of the good water quality. We really created a small ecosystem here, and it&#8217;s important for us to maintain it,&#8221; Tamam adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-05-05-at-11.38.31-2-1024x768-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2709\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-05-05-at-11.38.31-2-1024x768-1.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-05-05-at-11.38.31-2-1024x768-1-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/WhatsApp-Image-2020-05-05-at-11.38.31-2-1024x768-1-768x576.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>A group of African softshell turtles lives in next to a purified effluent pool at the Palgey-Sharon wastewater treatment plant. Photo by ZAVIT<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Turtles in Danger<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, the largest softshell populations in\nIsrael live in the Hula Nature Reserve and the Alexander River National Park. Each\nof these habitats only has a few dozen individuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The situation in other coastal streams and\nrivers is even more concerning: Only a very few have been recorded since the\n1970s. However, small populations can also be found in the Jordan River Basin\n(including the Hula Nature Reserve) due to the relocation in the late 1960s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Around\nthe streams of the country there are a number of stable softshell turtle\npopulations, and we are working with various researchers to learn about the\ngenetic variation of these populations so we can find out how to best treat\neach population,&#8221; says Dr. Dana Milstein, a Wetland and Habitats Ecologist\nat the Nature and Parks Authority. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;One\nof the major problems with softshell turtles in Israel is the large number of predators\ndestroying the nests. For example, in the Yarkon River, predation is very high\nand may reach 100 percent of the nests in a season,&#8221; Milstein emphasizes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the\npast, the primary predators were mongooses. In recent years jackals have been\nthe main threat to the turtles. The high rate of predation is problematic since\npopulations are small.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the\nyears, the softshell turtle population in the Yarkon River varied in size, even\nwhen the water level was higher than it is today. Each year, 5 to 15 turtle nests\nare monitored around the river, but most of them fall victim to predation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Another danger the turtles are facing is fishing along the Yarkon River. We have had cases where turtles swallowed a bait and got injured by the hook. If we find them on time, we try to get the hook out, but it often still results in serious injury,\u201d adds Jonathan Raz, chief ecologist of the Yarkon River Authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/800px-African-Softshell-Turtle-On-The-Rock-Alexander-river-Israel.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2713\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/800px-African-Softshell-Turtle-On-The-Rock-Alexander-river-Israel.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/800px-African-Softshell-Turtle-On-The-Rock-Alexander-river-Israel-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/800px-African-Softshell-Turtle-On-The-Rock-Alexander-river-Israel-768x512.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption><em>Today, the largest softshell populations in Israel live in the Hula Nature Reserve and the Alexander River National Park. Each of these habitats only has a few dozen individuals. Photo by Wikimedia Commons.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Conservation\nEfforts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;To\npreserve the turtle populations along the coastal streams, we carry out surveys\nto monitor the nests. That\u2019s how we found the nesting location at the sewage\nplant, &#8221; says Milstein.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We\nalso observe nesting characteristics with cameras, and during the breeding\nseason we monitor, and map the number of nests on the river banks and try to\nfigure out the preferred nesting locations so that we can protect them from\npredation,&#8221; she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s\nimportant for us to preserve these turtles. They are like sanitation workers, cleaning\nthe streams by eating carcasses and rotten material. Also, it\u2019s a great feeling\nto know that they live here in the Yarkon, &#8220;says Raz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe\nturtles probably reached the sewage plant from one of the rivers in the area.\nThe Yarkon tributaries were previously dry, but in recent decades, treated\nhigh-quality effluent has been discharged from the plant. This means a\ncontinuous water connection is established between the rivers systems. It turns\nthese tributaries into a wet ecology corridor that invites animals like turtles\nand various plants,&#8221; Raz explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According\nto Raz, the presence of the turtles in the sewage plant emphasizes the\nimportance of using streams as ecological corridors and to show that even a\nwastewater treatment facility can serve as a shelter for other turtles and\nanimals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Why not\nmoving the turtles to a natural habitat?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We\nwould be happy if the turtle population lived in its natural environment, but\nsince it&#8217;s beneficial for them right now, we can use them as a breeding nucleus\nand as a great gene pool for the future, \u201dsays Boord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Admittedly,\nmoving them to another place where there is a turtle population &#8211; the Yarkon,\nfor example &#8211; can increase the population and perhaps even create a greater\ngenetic diversity that will strengthen the soft turtle population that lives\nthere,&#8221; says Milstein,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;But for now, we have decided not to touch them and keep the population at its current location while it is breeding. Technically, nests and eggs can always be brought back to the streams,&#8221; she concludes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This ZAVIT article was also published in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.israel21c.org\/endangered-turtles-find-home-in-israeli-sewage-plant\/\">Israel21c<\/a>&nbsp;on 06\/11\/2020.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The turtles in question are African softshell turtles or Trionyx triunguis, an endangered species found mainly in Central and West &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":2701,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[14,10],"tags":[],"acf":[],"post-meta-fields":{"_edit_lock":["1592466763:11"],"_edit_last":["11"],"subtitle":["In the bustling central district of Israel, in a quiet green spot near the water, five turtles have set up their permanent home, undisturbed from human activity \u2013 almost. The location the turtles have chosen as their residence is right next to the Palgey-Sharon wastewater treatment plant"],"_subtitle":["field_59d3d36ea7fe1"],"_wpml_media_duplicate":["1"],"_wpml_media_featured":["1"],"_oembed_4b7d75df3ec1071bec1d74026c1d8e71":["<iframe title=\"Endangered turtles in Israel\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5gw6BTHCdMs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>"],"_oembed_time_4b7d75df3ec1071bec1d74026c1d8e71":["1592118190"],"_thumbnail_id":["2701"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2698"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2698"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2719,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2698\/revisions\/2719"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}