In Central Park, hundreds come out of their shell Turtle neck of the woods SNIP-PETS... ON JUNE 25, from Central Park's Belvedere Castle, noon to 4 p.m., join the Fandango de Tortugas: ATurtle Celebration, honoring the wildlife of New York and Mexico. Hosted by Mano y Mano, the afternoon will feature song, live turtle encounters, nature walks and a discussion on the bio-challenges to the turtles of our region and their counter- parts south of the border. OTHER upcoming animal events around the city include: • Today, catch famed "Dog Whisperer" Cesar Millan in action as he helps kick off the Africa Wild Dog Exhibit at the Bronx Zoo. Millan also will be on han!:! to share tips for training your own dog. For info, go to www.Bronx.t zoo.org. • June 23 is Take Your Dog To Work Day. Visit Web site www.petsit.com for info and tips on selling your boss and co- workers on why every office needs a dog. • Also on June 23, Brooklyn's Fido will host its annual Pupnic a canine-friendly potluck picnic, the Nethermead in Prospect Park from 5 p.m. to sundown. For' 0, go to www.fidobrooklyn.com. • On June 24, Liza Minnelli will crown the grand prize winner of the city's first Pet Pride Pageant, held from to 2 p.m. in front of Rubyfruit Bar and Grill in the West Village. The $20 entry fee will benefit Mayor's Alliance for NYC's;;: Animals;. Go to www.PetPridePageant.com. • The ASPCA Central Park Dog Walk has been rescheduled for June 24 starting at East Meadow in Central Park. Info: www.aspca.orgldogwalk. • Thanks to kind-hearted New Yorkers, N.Y.C. Animal Care & Control's Safety Net Program has so far received more than . $2,800 in donations to help Buddy the pit bull, who fell four floors from the roof of a Brooklyn brownstone. Go to www.nycacc. org. Amy Sacks dead in Turtle Pond. Although Tess is blind and lost an arm to frostbite, today she is the star resident in Belvedere Castle's nature observa- tory. Still, her plight illustrates the danger posed when exotic turtles and tortoises, bought at pet stores, are dumped in the park by people WJ:lO think they are saving them. "People don't realize it's going to have a shorter life, it's going to have competition, it may not make it through hibernation and it may .not know how to eat food in the wild," Cramer said. Dumping of exotic turtles also upsets the balance and endangers native species. In recent years, snapping turtles, red-eared sliders and painted turtles have replaced spotted, mud, musk, box and wood turtles in the population. Meanwhile, the often-heard ur- ban myth that turtles are found in New York City sewers is actually fact, not fiction. After a big rain in Manhattan, Cramer said turtles get caught in drainage systems and end up in the water processing plant at 14th St. and the East River. Brooklyn-based animal rescuer Sean Casey (www.scamyc.org) has received calls to save hundreds of turtles around the five boroughs. He recently rescued a 65-pound sul- cata tortoise that had grown too large for its owner to handle. The exotic spe- cies hails from West Africa and starts out the size of a golf ball, but can grow to more than 100 pounds. It is so powerful it can break through walls, said Casey. "They're not aggressive," he added, "but if they want something, they don't go around it." For information on surrendering, adopt- ing or caring for a turtle, contact the New York Turtle and Tortoise Society at [email protected] But sometimes even a turtle can strike out. "If she accepts him, they mate, but if not, she'll swat him with her hand," said Cramer, who is also head of rehabilitation and education for the New York Turtle and Tortoise Society. Sadly, growing threats of pollution and habitat destruction affect the turtle popula- tion. But people abandoning turtles in parks and ponds poses the greatest threat. Two years ago, Princess Tess was found near-frozen and tangled in fishing wire after the 30-year-old red-eared slider was left for BY AMY SACKS DAILY NEWS WRITER THIS SUMMER, New Yorkers with a passion for wildlife have few rea- sons to head for the hills. In addition to African wild dogs in the Bronx, famed red-tailed hawks perched on the swank Beres- ford apartment building, harbor seals and herons dotting the Hud- son River, random deer - and a bevy of possums and raccoons for- aging around the boroughs - tur- tles of all shapes and sizes are out in full force in Central Park. "Any day, you can come to the park, sit on a bench and identify three of the different species," said Lorri Cramer, a turtle rehabilitator with the New York State Depart- ment of Environmental Conserva- tion. On a recent spring day, Cramer counted 42 red-eared sliders sun- ning themselves in various loca- tions, soon after the turtles came. out of hibernation. At least 400 to 500 terrapins, in- cluding native snapping turtles, box turtles, painted turtles and musk turtles (also known as stinkpots for . their, well, aroma) inhabit the park, ' she said, in addition to red-eared Kids check out Rocky, three-toed box turtle who entertains sliders and cooters, which are na- visitors at central Park's Belvedere castle nature center. tive to Florida. Most are usually found by Turtle Pond, at the base of Belvedere Castle; at the Harlem Meer, near the park's northern tip, and in The Lake, by the Boathouse. With mating season in full swing, females can be seen wandering the park in se.arch of sandy areas to build nests and lay their eggs. Curious parkgoers may even happen up- on snapping turtles involved in their fasci- nating mating ritual, where the male per- forms a vibrating dance to attract the fe- male.
