Lousiana DWF Releases Alligator Snapping Turtles in Calcasieu River

By Vanessa Torres

Louisiana -(Ammoland.com)- The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) today released juvenile Alligator Snapping Turtles into the Calcasieu River Basin as part of a reintroduction program for this species.

The release was made from Sam Houston Jones State Park north of Lake Charles.

The Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) has experienced significant population declines throughout its range. It is a Species of Conservation Concern in the state of Louisiana, and is listed as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in the Louisiana State Wildlife Action Plan: http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/wildlife/wildlife-action-plan .

A determination of whether or not to list the Alligator Snapping Turtle under the Endangered Species Act is scheduled for 2017 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). LDWF has begun to address conservation issues affecting this species in an effort to reduce the need for federal listing. Commercial harvest of the Alligator Snapping Turtle has been banned since 2004 in Louisiana, although recreational take is still allowed. It appears that the greatest threat to alligator snapping turtle populations in the …read more

Source:: AmmoLand