Join OKC Zoo for World Turtle Day Celebrations and Conservation Efforts on May 4

The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden will celebrate World Turtle Day on Saturday, May 4. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wetlands Walkway habitat. The activities will focus on Max, a Galapagos tortoise who has lived at the Zoo for fifty years. Visitors who donate $50 to the Oklahoma Zoological Society for tortoise conservation can enter a raffle to win a Galapagos tortoise Wild Encounter.

The Oklahoma Zoological Society aims to raise awareness about endangered turtle species through this event. Mandy Heaps, the executive director, states that over half of all turtle species are threatened with extinction. Donations will support the Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s Radiated Tortoise SAFE Program.

The event will start online at 9:30 a.m. with a Facebook Live session about turtle facts. Visitors can join free Caretaker Chats at the Wetlands Walkway. Other activities include a Turtle Eye Spy game, a demonstration on finding turtles, and a Guess-the-Turtle spin wheel. Visitors can also sign a pledge banner against the pet trade of turtles and tortoises.

The OKC Zoo has supported turtle conservation since 2018, contributing $40,000 to the Turtle Survival Alliance and the Radiated Tortoise SAFE program. The Zoo has also worked against wildlife trafficking, including illegal tortoise trade. In 2018, the Zoo sent staff to Madagascar to care for confiscated tortoises and identify safe release sites.

The Zoo also supports local conservation efforts. Since 2021, it has participated in the alligator snapping turtle program managed by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. This program raises young turtles hatched at the Tishomingo National Fish Hatchery for reintroduction to their native habitats. Seamus Ehrhard, OKC Zoo herpetology and aquatics curator, highlights the importance of these efforts.

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