Sulawesi Forest Turtle – Riverview Park and Zoo

The Sulawesi forest turtle is a medium sized freshwater turtle species that inhabits the large Indonesian island of Sulawesi. 

The Riverview Park and Zoo is proud to be the only Canadian institution and one of only a handful of institutions in all of North America to be breeding this rare type of turtle forest turtle. The Sulawesi is a critically endangered species with numbers having decreased to only 100 in 1999. Female Sulawesi forest turtles lay only 1 to 2 eggs in each clutch, therefore contributing to the difficulty of conservation for this species. 

Despite this, we are pleased to announce that we have had 4 successful hatchings of the Sulawesi forest turtle in 2014, 2016, 2020, and just recently in 2021 – Blinky, Pippin, Merry and Sam. The Sulawesi are part of our Species Survival Plan, which helps to ensure healthy numbers of species in captivity to prevent extinction! 

The conservation of species that are rare and not thoroughly researched such as the Sulawesi is critical in understanding the complex biodiversity that exists here on our planet. We are proud to be able to contribute to the conservation of endangered species here at the Riverview Park and Zoo! 

Brian Tran, Public Educator – Riverview Park and Zoo