Melbourne students have visited the Gunbower wetlands on a mission to save native broad shell turtles.

The students, from Templestowe College, in Melbourne, have protected turtle egg nests by covering them with chicken wire, and assisted more than 100 hatchlings to find their way into the Gunbower wetlands.

Turtle nests have been subjected to predation by foxes, which have learnt to sniff out the eggs.

The students and teachers from Templestowe visit the Gunbower waterways every year for the turtle week camp, combined with a farm visit and experiences revolving around the environment.

Turtles Australia president Graham Stockfeld, who co-ordinates the turtle activities, recalled that last year the group found a turtle that was injured on a road.

They took the female turtle to a vet for treatment, but she couldn’t be saved.

However, they were able to extract eggs which were placed in a protected nest, and this year the hatchlings successfully emerged.

Broad-shelled turtles lay eggs which have an incubation time of up to one year.

Broad-shelled turtles are obligate carnivores that feed mostly on fast swimming prey such as fish and shrimps, but will eat dead animals, as they are sometimes captured in baited traps resulting in their drowning.

They are endangered in Victoria.

For more photos and videos, go to the Facebook page Gunbower Island Wetlands hosted by Nicholas Rowlands.

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Monday, 27th August 2029

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