Freshwater turtles, common in farm dams, creeks, and wetlands across Australia, often travel over land when water sources dry up or during breeding season.
However, fences pose a significant obstacle, trapping turtles, causing entanglement, overheating, or even death.
A recent study in Armidale, New South Wales, used GPS trackers on 20 adult eastern long-neck turtles to analyze how different fence types impact their movement.
The study found that turtles frequently encountered fences and sometimes had to walk long distances to find a crossing.
Chicken wire, with its small mesh, was particularly problematic, while damaged fences often provided unintentional gaps for turtles to pass through.
The research suggests simple, cost-effective solutions for creating turtle-friendly fences.
These include using wider mesh, elevating the bottom of the fence to at least 50mm off the ground, or installing wildlife-specific gates.
Such measures would help turtles and other wildlife move more freely through agricultural landscapes, reducing the risks posed by current fencing designs.
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