.Turtle Time: How to Save an Amphibian

The culture in Marin County has been called all sorts of things, from eco-friendly to aggressively sustainable to “so progressively green it would make a Ninja Turtle look kinda purple.”

Being in the Bay Area means living on the very forefront of the environmental movements that help shape the future narrative of nature conservation, clean living and a whole bunch of other hippie-dippie stuff too. But let’s not get distracted from the main point of this piece: turtles.

More specifically, one three-legged turtle affectionately called Captain Hook. This local celebrity turtle has a compelling story, starting with an injury and subsequent rescue mission that took him all the way from his home (a pond in West Marin) to the local wildlife rescue nonprofit WildCare, to the Oakland Zoo and finally back home once more to swim free and happy in his natural environment and far, far away from people.

This traveling superstar of a rescue reptile is a western pond turtle, a species of special concern in California. Alison Hermance, WildCare’s director of communications and all-around lover of turtles, provided a little background info as to what makes this particular species so special.

“Western pond turtles are our area’s only native [aquatic freshwater] turtle species,” explained Hermance. “The other turtles people see in ponds are the ones people released because they kept them as pets. Red-eared sliders are common examples of this. But releasing non-native species like the red-eared slider is invasive, and they outcompete the native turtle; they take the best pond spaces, nesting places, the best food sources and even the best basking spots… They’ll actually push the western pond turtles off a log or bank to take their basking spot.”

Apart from being incredibly rude, the behavior of invasive species like the red-eared slider poses a real threat to the natural, native ecosystem in which species like the western pond turtle thrive. Like many Californians, western pond turtles are just trying to vibe, stay in their lane and soak up some sun in peace and quiet. Quite relatable.

“Introduced species caused so many problems for our California native animals,” said Hermance. “Native species to our area tend to be more laid back … plus, western pond turtles are really shy. And the red-eared sliders are much more capable of dealing with people and generally have lower stress levels, while the western pond turtle is a high-stress little guy.”

Being called a high-stress little guy is also pretty relatable. And even in a place as green and eco-friendly as Marin, it’s easy to see why species like the western pond turtle are feeling less than perfectly relaxed. Especially considering the simple fact that unbearably rude red-eared sliders are far from the western pond turtle’s only concern.

“Western pond turtles are also very susceptible to habitat destruction, to drought and changes in water flow and certainly to water quality,” explained Hermance. “Think fertilizer runoff, any of the toxins people use in their yards, attempts to try to kill algae and a lot of other various things can kill lots of wildlife that lives in or around the contaminated water source. The more you mess with a habitat, the less habitable it is for a sensitive little guy like a pond turtle. So, let the environment be what it is and be responsible by staying aware of the importance of maintaining the local water and wilderness areas.”

“Another huge problem for western pond turtles and local wildlife in general has to do with run-ins with people,” she added. “One western pond turtle that came in last year was used as a chew toy by a dog—contact with us, our pets, our cars … those are all going to be major challenges.”

Which brings us back to our local western pond turtle representative, Captain Hook, who faced a challenge of his own. Due to unknown causes, Captain Hook lost his right front leg. While this native turtle species is often so shy that one cannot get within 50 feet without them diving for cover, Captain Hook allowed himself to be caught easily by hand. That alone was an indication enough that he was in dire need of medical attention. And, with a fantastic Marin institution like WildCare, it was easy to know where to take Captain Hook for immediate expert help.

“Since 2017, we’ve treated 34 western pond turtles; we usually get four to five a year,” explained Hermance. “The primary reason we tend to get them is that they’ve been hit by cars. Especially during mating season when males are looking for females or when their seasonal pond dries up, they’ll get hit by cars while crossing the road. They come in with broken shells, which need a lot of time to heal.”

“[Captain Hook] is such a good example of the value WildCare adds to the community, because if you find an injured wild animal like that, we’re the resource that’s here to help you,” she added. “You can have that experience of rescuing an animal, bringing them in to us, then … four or five weeks later, be able to return them to their natural environment. It’s lifesaving for the animal and an amazing experience for the people too.”

After taking Captain Hook under their wing, so to speak, WildCare did what they do best, which means they did everything in their power to make sure he could heal and then return home. In this particular case, proper care meant calling in another part of the Bay Area wildlife welfare community at the Oakland Zoo.

The zoo is working on a special western pond turtle conservation effort in the hope of preventing the continued population decline of this beloved local reptile. They even have a project to help repopulate the western pond turtle thanks to another North Bay local: Dr. Nick Geist, a professor at Sonoma State University, who saw the population decline and asked the Oakland Zoo and San Francisco Zoo for help. 

Together, these people and organizations are raising baby western pond turtles, feeding them to grow too big for invasive species like bullfrogs to eat and releasing them back into good-quality local ponds that don’t have any of those rude red-eared sliders around to bogart the best basking spots.

Captain Hook is one of many western pond turtles that the Oakland Zoo, WildCare and other nature-loving local movements have worked to save. And his rescue highlights an epic collaboration that’s been happening between local wildlife advocates. His journey is a reminder of what’s possible when communities care enough to act—not just for turtles, but for every fragile thread in the local ecosystem.

For help with wild animal injury and other emergencies, call the WildCare hotline at 415.456.7283. Rescued animals may also be brought to the WildCare Transition facility on Schmidt Lane off North San Pedro Road in San Rafael, which is open from 9am to 5pm, seven days a week. To learn more about WildCare and the services they offer, visit discoverwildcare.org.