Turtle who went missing from Pennsylvania sanctuary found 20 miles away 3 years later

A turtle who somehow shucked off his transmitter and absconded from a western Pennsylvania sanctuary was found 20 miles away more than three years later. 

The Tamarack Wildlife Center said this summer, a good Samaritan in Venango stopped to help a box turtle cross the road. When they noticed the unusual markings on its shell, they began to reach out to different people and organizations to see if it was someone's pet. 

The good Samaritan's search led them to the Tamarack Wildlife Center in Saegertown, Crawford County, where a staff member recognized the markings as part of a local box turtle research and reintroduction project. 

Identifying the turtle wasn't easy. While a group marking of "C" was still faintly visible, the wildlife center said the number tied to the turtle had faded. But the project coordinator at the Eastern Box Turtle Conservation Trust was able to match the turtle's shell patterns to photos. 

"That's when we learned we were in the presence of C3—better known as 'Pete,'" the wildlife center wrote on Facebook.

Pete was released into the turtle sanctuary in September 2021 with a new transmitter. But in the spring of 2022, after the turtle version of hibernation, called brumation, researchers noticed Pete wasn't moving. When they checked, they found only his transmitter. No Pete.

But here, three years later, was Pete, scooped off the road in Venango County, 20 miles from his sanctuary.

Pete was given a clean bill of health. He was fitted with a new transmitter and returned to the study area, where researchers will try to learn from his wanderings. 

The Tamarack Wildlife Center says eastern box turtle populations in Pennsylvania have "plummeted" because of habitat loss and poaching for the illegal pet trade. Box turtles can take seven to 10 years to reach maturity, and their eggs are vulnerable to predators. Tamarack says every adult, including Pete, matters for the survival of the species. 

"Now back where he belongs, Pete will provide valuable data to help protect wild box turtles for years to come. His story is a reminder of just how important each turtle is to the long-term survival of the species. If you're lucky enough to encounter a box turtle, please admire it respectfully and leave it wild—because every turtle counts," the wildlife center said on Facebook.