Today is #WorldTurtleDay! 🐢 This year, we’re also celebrating a special milestone — 20 years since your Toronto Zoo’s Wildlife Conservation team first observed Clementine, an adult female Blanding’s turtle, in the Rouge National Urban Park. Now estimated to be over 50 years old, Clementine is one of the few known adult Blanding’s turtles in the Park and has been closely monitored by our team since 2005. In 2022, after she was seen nesting, her eggs were brought to the Zoo where her hatchlings were raised for their first two years as part of the Blanding’s Turtle Headstart Program. By caring for young turtles during their most vulnerable early years, the program helps them grow larger and healthier than they would in the wild, giving them a true 'headstart' in life 🐢 Releasing Clementine’s hatchlings back into the Park marked a major step forward in protecting local genetics and rebuilding the population of this endangered species 💚 Learn more about the Blanding's headstart progra...