Help Us Find Australia's Most Endangered Reptile

We’re hoping to raise funds to hire a drone mounted tracking system, in order to pinpoint the location of Western Swamp Turtles (Pseudemydrua umbrina), a Critically Endangered and endemic species to the south-west of Western Australia. This will allow us to gather valuable data on their health and behavior to aid in the preservation of these rare reptiles.

The Western Swamp Turtle is naturally found in only two swamps in the south-west of Western Australia. This small turtle was thought to be extinct for over a 100 years until its rediscovery in 1953 by a young schoolboy.

As part of the ongoing efforts to protect this species from extinction, I am completing a research project monitoring turtles from Perth Zoo’s captive-breeding program. Turtles have been released at new locations in the south-west, in order to see if permanent populations could be established there. If favourable, these more southern habitats could protect them from the effects of a changing climate.

However tracking such small animals in large swamps is no easy feat and despite their size, these turtles have managed to move many kilometres. Trying to find them using traditional hand-held monitoring equipment has posed a major challenge in the late phases of my project.

So we’re looking at the up-and-coming world of drones to find the MIA and rogue turtles!

Please donate to help me right a killer thesis, but more importantly to play a part in the protection of such an enigmatic Australian species.

(I’d like to acknowledge my collaboration with the University of Western Australia, The Threatened Species Recovery Hub, the Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions, Perth Zoo, The Western Swamp Turtle Recovery Team, Friends of the Western Swamp Turtle and Wildlife Drone. Credit of some images to Nicolas Rakotopare)