Meet Audrey, our beloved 24 year-old red-eared slider spokes-turtle.
She needed help but didn’t get it when she needed it most.
Before Audrey made her way to us at Audrey languished in a bucket for over 20 years, deforming her body with a condition called metabolic bone disease. Her brittle shell curled upwards like an umbrella flipped inside out in a rainstorm – Her spine permanently bent in an unnatural position.
We would never have known about Audrey if her owner not passed away before Audrey did. With the death of her original caretaker, Audrey ended up at the Toronto Animal Services to be euthanized.
Fortunately for her, Audrey received a second chance on life when a vet intervened and had her transferred to Little RES Q.
For the first time in over twenty years…Audrey experienced love and compassion. She experienced life’s simple pleasures of swimming, eating nutritious meals, and soaking up the sun.
Sadly, Audrey’s health and previous mistreatment caught up with her. She passed away on April 30th, 2015 – 4 years into her new life as the spokes-turtle for animal cruelty against turtles.
To keep Audrey’s memory alive, Little RES Q has developed plans for a massive man-made turtle sanctuary for thousands of unwanted turtles in Canada; a place for these invasive turtles to live out their lives in peace. This will be Audrey’s lasting legacy to her species so no other turtles will go through what she did.
With the help of our supporters, we have turned this dream into a reality and we are half-way through building Audrey’s Legacy Turtle Sanctuary.
Audrey’s Legacy Turtle Sanctuary is a 20 acre turtle sanctuary in Ontario, Canada that is being built by Little RES Q.
We use special inclusion fencing to make sure that the turtles who live in Audrey's Legacy Turtle Sanctuary stay in the sanctuary
Male and Female red-eared sliders get their own ponds to prevent breeding; we don't want to increase the population of red-eared sliders
Each of the ponds are fully-stocked and aerated to help the turtles live their best lives and brumate throughout Canadian winters
Security systems are in place to keep an eye on the turtles. Maintenance is provided by in-person caretakers year-round
Audrey’s Legacy Turtle Sanctuary is our solution to a plethora of issues red-eared sliders are creating and encountering. As an invasive species, red-eared sliders have impacted ecosystems world-wide due to the unregulated pet trade.
Audrey’s Legacy Turtle Sanctuary will allow us to:
Our current reptile shelter, Little RES Q, has been running at over capacity for a decade and there are more unwanted pet turtles than ever. There are simply more turtles waiting to be surrendered than we can keep up with.
Families currently have to wait up to two years to surrender their pet turtles.
Ontario rescues and shelters are unable to handle the amount of pet turtles that are being surrendered.
This comes a dangerous consequence. Family pets, like red-eared slider turtles often find themselves released illegally into Ontario’s wildlife habitats.
Audrey’s Legacy Turtle Sanctuary directly prevents the release of red-eared slider turtles into the wild.
We are providing an option where red-eared sliders can live their lives peacefully without affecting the native turtle populations of Ontario.
For many years, the native turtle populations have been steadily declining.
Red-eared sliders are notorious for being able to adapt and consume resources that would normally support the native turtle populations.
When these red-eared slider turtles take the best basking and nesting sites, eat all the food, and bully the endemic turtles out of their homes – what options do the native turtles have?
This sanctuary is the solution.
Audrey’s Legacy Turtle Sanctuary allows for a safe and tended location for red-eared sliders to thrive. The ponds are aerated and stocked with food. They are watched after by caregivers and volunteers who visit the Legacy regularly.
Our turtle sanctuary is not finished! Help us to continue our mission to create a thriving sanctuary for one of the world’s most invasive turtles.
Not all turtles can thrive at Audrey's Legacy and we assess each and every turtle to see if they're a good candidate for Audrey's Legacy Turtle Sanctuary. You can find out if your turtle might be a good fit by checking out our eligibility guidelines.
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© 2024 Created by Celeste Crevier
