09/24/2025
Yesterday’s post was heavy, so today we celebrate hope—and it comes in the form of 31 baby turtles. 💫🐢
These hatchlings are diamondback terrapins, small turtles that live in brackish waters where fresh and saltwater meet. They are New York’s only estuarine turtle and an important part of Staten Island’s tidal wetlands. Unfortunately, most nests are destroyed by predators like raccoons and foxes, which is why the Staten Island Zoo and Freshkills Park Alliance stepped in to help. Through The Staten Island Terrapin Project, eggs were carefully protected, incubated, and nurtured at the Zoo, giving these tiny turtles a strong start before returning them to the wild.
Our interns Gigi, Sarah, and Natalie helped care for the hatchlings every day, and as Curator Cathy Eser reflects, raising them at the Zoo “has made it a very memorable year.” Their work, combined with the Zoo’s expertise, provided the perfect head start. Zoo Director Ken Mitchell highlights that these efforts are about more than just a single release: “With the Zoo’s expertise in animal care, and our partnership with the Freshkills Park Alliance, we are giving these terrapins a true survival head start,” he says, emphasizing how teamwork and community collaboration make conservation possible.
Lead Researcher and one of SIZ’s zookeepers, Elle Fenton-Hulett, reminds us that this project is about the bigger picture: “By working as a community, we can make a real impact on conservation. Soon, the diamondback terrapin will no longer be a hidden gem, but a symbol of our vibrant ecosystems that every Staten Islander recognizes and cherishes.”
This release is just the beginning. The Zoo and Freshkills Park Alliance, in collaboration with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, New York City Department of Sanitation and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, will continue these efforts into next year, hoping to protect and raise even more of these tiny turtles—because while they may be small, their survival has a big impact on the health of our wetlands.
Here’s to little shells making their way home—and to a brighter, thriving world for generations to come. 🐢✨
