Aug. 13: Painted Turtle release

This Painted Turtle was released back into to the wild last week after spending a whopping two years in the care center. It takes 18 months for a turtle’s shell to heal, and this guy’s shell had to be wired together after he was hit by a car in 2010. With expert care and a safe place to recover, the turtle fully recovered from his injury.

After living inside the care center building for most of his recovery time, the turtle spent his last weeks at Portland Audubon acclimating to the outdoors. He also received a final x-ray exam, and his shell looked good. In the first of the following photos, care center veterinarian Deb Schaeffer points at the turtle's healed injury site. The second photo shows the turtle's unique underside markings; staff will keep a photo of these markings on file.

Happy swimming!