Reptiles breach 'impenetrable' 4km fence with ingenious invention
The challenge was to build a tunnel that blocked foxes and cats, while allowing turtles to safely cross.
In a move straight out of a prison heist movie, turtles have escaped the confines of an impenetrable four kilometre fence by crawling through tunnels underneath it. The fence had been constructed to keep a population of endangered eastern quolls safe from predators after they were reintroduced to mainland Australia.
But it inadvertently imprisoned a population of eastern long-necked turtles by preventing them from travelling between waterholes at Booderee National Park on the NSW South Coast. Experts had feared by blocking this ancient migratory route between water sources and nesting sites, the turtle population could have been wiped out.
Fortunately, it wasn’t left up to the turtles to find a solution to this man-made problem. Park rangers and conservationists from World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia stepped in and created nine tunnels around the park to allow the turtles to make their great escape.
“We have long known that turtles use the network of swamps and lakes at Booderee, feeding and fattening in the swamps and migrating to the permanent lakes when the swamps dry out. It was imperative that we maintained access for turtles to these water bodies,” Booderee National Park conservation manager Nick Dexter said.
How does the new turtle tunnel invention work?
To stop the quolls getting out and invasive foxes and cats getting in, the team created an ingenious new tunnel system that was flooded with water. Each two-metre-long, 70 cm deep, bathtub shaped, tunnel also includes a mesh-opening in the middle aimed at deterring any determined larger animal from breaching the fence.
Because the mechanism was a new invention, the team had been unsure whether the turtles would use it when they installed it late last year. But nine months on, they have recorded 73 instances of turtles successfully exiting tunnels.
Operation in Aussie forest to capture one of the world’s rarest mammals
Australia calls for abandoned mining sites to be given world heritage listing
'Pathetic' detail in Australia's attempt to curb looming mass extinction threat
“Sometimes our actions to protect one species can have unintended consequences for others. But this time, it’s nice to know both the quolls and turtles will be happy,” WWF-Australia’s Rob Brewster said.
Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new newsletter showcasing the week’s best stories.
