Fox traps aim to care for turtles

Fox trapping will aim to protect Port Hedland's famous turtle population during the nesting season.

According to Care for Hedland Environmental Association the nesting season for the adult female flatback turtles will begin on October 30, with the trapping program running from Monday to Friday next week.

The trapping is initiated early to help to ensure no hatchlings are lost to the feral animals over the course of the season.

During the last season no nests were reported as being distributed by foxes, but in the 2008/09 season more than 30 nests were destroyed, which is the equivalent of 500-1250 hatchling deaths.

Undertaken with the permission of the Town of Port Hedland, the trapping will take place in the vicinity of the Pretty Pool turtle nesting area over the course of the five days.

Dog owners in the Pretty Pool area are reminded to keep their animals securely fenced within their yards during this period to avoid any mishaps with the traps. Warning signs will be placed on each track and road leading to the area to be trapped, while any domestic animals that become trapped will be dealt with by rangers.

Care for Hedland co-ordinator Pip Short said the program would not have been possible without the support of BHP Billiton and LandCorp.

"It has been recorded in previous seasons that the foxes shift down to the Pretty Pool area and begin predating successfully laid nests," she said.

"The greatest abundance of foxes observed are generally when the hatchlings first break from their shells in early December (when) attracted by the odour given off the foxes dig all the way down to the bottom of the nest … and eat the hatchlings and egg remains.

"Even if they do not eat all the hatchlings in the nest the remaining young turtles are still doomed. Normally … only 1 in 1000 turtle hatchlings survive to maturity (but) with unchecked fox activity odds become even worse."