In a significant milestone for one of the most critically endangered species in NSW, a further 97 zoo-bred juvenile Bellinger River snapping turtles have been released into the Bellinger River on Gumbaynggirr Country in northern NSW.

This is the fifth and largest wild release since 2018 when the species was on the brink of extinction. It takes the number of Bellinger River snapping turtles released into the wild to 179.

This species of short-necked freshwater turtle was rescued in 2015 after a virus, now known as the Bellinger River Virus, infiltrated the river. It caused a mass mortality event which wiped out an estimated 90 per cent of the population in just six weeks.

A rapid response by the NSW Government placed 16 healthy turtles into a breeding program led by Taronga Zoo, which expanded with a second population at Symbio Wildlife Park in 2017.

Recovery of the Bellinger River snapping turtle is led by the NSW Government’s Saving our Species program in collaboration with Taronga Conservation Society Australia and Symbio Wildlife Park, and includes reptile and translocation experts, wildlife disease experts and zoo professionals. 

Saving our Species has now managed the release of 179 juvenile Bellinger River snapping turtles into the Bellinger River. The turtles are monitored following each release to gather information on survival, health, dispersal and habitat use.

The critically endangered species, found exclusively in a 60-km stretch of the Bellinger River, is dependent on conservation intervention for its survival and without this program it would likely become extinct in the wild. 

The Saving our Species program also includes habitat restoration in the upper Bellinger River, a citizen science program tracking water quality and research into genetics, population dynamics and the virus.

The NSW Department of Primary Industries and the Australian Registry of Wildlife Health at Taronga Zoo are working with Saving our Species to continue investigating the role of disease in the species’ ongoing survival.

The Bellinger River snapping turtle is one of 110 species prioritised for recovery under the Australian Government’s Threatened Species Action Plan and the Federal Government has contributed  over $850,000 to support recovery actions.

This project relies on the contribution of project partners and stakeholders, including the Commonwealth Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Symbio Wildlife Park and many private landholders within the Bellingen area.