Aug 25, 2025
OTTAWA, Aug. 25, 2025 – The Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) is thrilled to report that two rare albino Blanding’s Turtles have been released back to the wild near where their nest was discovered in rural Ottawa.
“Albino turtles are very rare and as far as we know this is the first documented occurrence of albino Blanding’s Turtles in Canada.” said David Seburn, CWF turtle specialist.
The eggs were incubated as part of CWF’s conservation program to protect wild turtle nests from predation. There were originally 11 eggs in the nest, and four of them survived. While two of the hatchlings have the usual dark shell with flecking and yellow neck, the albino hatchlings have pink skin, a creamy-white shell and red eyes. CWF is not releasing the exact location of the nesting site to protect the hatchlings.
- CWF collected over 1,000 turtle eggs in Eastern Ontario this year from a variety of species
- Turtle eggs are collected each summer and incubated in captivity to help increase wild populations
- CWF has released more than 6,000 hatchlings back into the wild over the past eight years
- Blanding’s Turtles are globally and nationally endangered
Nest predation can be extremely high in certain areas so locating these nests and protecting them is of great benefit to the population, Seburn says. Raccoons and other nest predators dig up and eat many of these eggs. CWF also conducts wetland surveys to find new locations with endangered Blanding’s Turtles and conducts road surveys to locate areas with significant mortality in order to get road mitigation measures installed.
The turtles hatched out in CWF’s Kanata office on Aug. 16.
While they will face risks in the wild, given how murky the water tends to be in their wetland habitat, being light coloured is not likely the big disadvantage some people think it is, Seburn said.
“They are wild animals and deserve a chance to have a life in the wild.”
For more information, visit HelptheTurtles.ca
About the Canadian Wildlife Federation
The Canadian Wildlife Federation is a national, not-for-profit charitable organization dedicated to conserving Canada’s wildlife and habitats for the use and enjoyment of all. By spreading knowledge of human impacts on wildlife and the environment, carrying out actions to conserve and restore species and habitats, developing and delivering conservation education programs, advocating for changes to government policy and programs, and co-operating with like-minded partners, CWF encourages a future in which Canadians can live in harmony with nature. For more information, visit CanadianWildlifeFederation.ca.
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