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As the weather warms across the Hawkesbury, local vets are once again seeing an influx of injured freshwater turtles particularly Eastern Snake-necked and Sydney Basin Short-necked Turtles brought in after being struck by cars while crossing our roads.
Dr Michelle Dalli from North Richmond Vet Hospital says this heartbreaking trend happens every year as turtles begin their seasonal migration.
“The Eastern Snake-necked Turtle is the wanderer of our wetlands,” she explains. “They travel long distances between dams, creeks, and ponds in search of mates and nesting sites. Sadly, that often brings them into conflict with vehicles.”
Short-necked Turtles are more homebound, staying close to rivers and streams, basking on logs and nesting nearby making them less likely to be hit by cars. But all local turtle species face multiple threats beyond the road. Predation by foxes and feral pigs is particularly destructive. These introduced animals dig up nests, eat eggs and hatchlings, and destroy fragile wetland habitats. Combined with traffic, pollution, and habitat loss, these pressures are pushing turtle populations into serious decline along Australia’s east coast.
Dr Dalli and her team have become local heroes for the Hawkesbury’s reptiles, using advanced shell repair and stabilisation techniques to treat turtles with fractures caused by cars and dog bites.
“With the right care, many can make a full recovery and return to the wild,” says Dr Dalli. In some extraordinary cases, she has even saved the next generation extracting eggs from deceased female turtles, incubating them, and releasing the hatchlings back into local waterways.
If you spot a turtle crossing the road this spring, the advice from experts is simple: help it cross safely in the direction it was already heading. Turning it around will only make it try again.
Turtles are more than just quiet residents of our creeks, they’re the custodians of our wetlands, helping clean and balance aquatic ecosystems. November is officially Turtle Month, and locals can join the conservation effort by visiting 1MillionTurtles.com, recording sightings on TurtleSAT, and learning how to protect nesting sites.
Every small act of care helps ensure these remarkable survivors continue gliding through our waterways for generations to come.
