219 box turtles rescued after hundreds were dumped near New Jersey river

Eastern box turtle (representative image) More than two months after scores of box turtles were found abandoned along a riverbank in Cranford, New Jersey, the rescue effort has entered a new phase. The Mercer County Wildlife Center now reports caring for 219 turtles connected to the July dumping, up from about 190 in early August. With colder weather approaching, the centre is building two outdoor enclosures where many of the turtles will be able to spend the winter following the same seasonal cycle they would experience in the wild. Staff have nicknamed the new habitats Brumation Stations, a reference to the reptile equivalent of hibernation. Read on to know more:A riverbank littered with turtlesThe unusual rehabilitation effort began on July 29, when a Cranford resident discovered dozens of turtles abandoned along a riverbank near Riverside Drive and Casino Avenue, adjacent to the Rahway River. New Jersey Fish and Wildlife officers responded, and turtles began arriving at the Mercer County Wildlife Center in Hopewell Township and later at its River Road facility in Titusville. Residents were asked to bring any turtles they found to the Cranford Fire Department for safe transport ...