Eggs Recovered From Critically Injured Turtles

Vets at the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital Foundation were able to salvage eggs from two eastern long neck turtles that were brought into the operating room and had to be euthanised.

The turtles had attempted to cross roads and had been hit and critically injured by cars, but had eggs in their reproductive systems.

A spokesperson for the hospital said: “These turtles lay about four to 22 eggs and it takes around 60-80 days for them to hatch. We keep them in an incubator in our nursery and when they hatch, we will release them back into the pond near where mum was found. It can sometimes take 24 hours for the eggs to hatch so we let the little ones rest first before release.”

The turtles, also known as snake-necked turtles, are frequently hit by vehicles, according to the New South Wales environmental department. Credit: Currumbin Wildlife Hospital Foundation via Storyful