Hope For One Of Australia’s Rarest Turtles As Hatchlings Emerge At Symbio Wildlife Park

Symbio Wildlife Park is proud to announce the successful hatching of Bellinger River Snapping Turtles (Myuchelys georgesi), marking another critical milestone in the recovery of one of Australia's most endangered freshwater turtle species.

The Bellinger River Snapping Turtle, known locally as the Georges Turtle in honour of renowned researcher Arthur Georges, is found nowhere else on Earth except the Bellinger River on NSW's mid-north coast. In 2015, the species was pushed to the brink of extinction when a newly identified disease, Bellinger River Virus (BRV), caused a catastrophic mass mortality event. Within just six weeks, an estimated 900f the wild population was lost, leaving as few as 100–200 turtles surviving in the river.

In response to this unprecedented crisis, the NSW Government's Saving our Species program launched an emergency recovery effort. Sixteen healthy turtles were placed into a conservation breeding program at Taronga Zoo to establish a vital insurance population. In 2017, Symbio Wildlife Park joined the program, creating a second secure breeding population to further safeguard the species.

Since joining the initiative, Symbio has constructed a specialised quarantine and breeding facility, now home to 34 turtles, including 19 initial founder turtles, 7 bred in previous seasons and of course, 8 successfully hatched this year.

The newly hatched turtles represent the next generation of hope. Carefully bred and raised under expert care, these hatchlings are a powerful symbol of what collaborative conservation can achieve.

Together, The NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Taronga Conservation Society Australia and Symbio Wildlife Park form part of a multidisciplinary recovery team that includes reptile specialists, disease experts, conservation scientists and government agencies, all working toward the same goal: ensuring the Bellinger River Snapping Turtle does not disappear on our watch.

To date, the Saving our Species program, together with partners, has released more than 170 captive-bred juvenile turtles back into the Bellinger River. Each release is rigorously monitored, tracking survival, health, movement and habitat use to better understand how turtles adapt once returned to the wild.

Beyond captive breeding, the recovery program includes habitat restoration works in the upper Bellinger River, citizen science initiatives monitoring water quality, and extensive research into the virus, genetics and population dynamics of the species. These efforts are delivered in partnership with the Australian Registry of Wildlife Health, NSW Department of Primary Industries, local landholders and led by NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water's Saving our Species program.

The Australian Government has identified the Bellinger River Snapping Turtle as a priority species under its Threatened Species Action Plan, contributing more than $850,000 toward its recovery. This vital work is supported by a network of committed partners including the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Symbio Wildlife Park, and the Bellingen community.

With every hatchling, the future of this unique species becomes a little more secure, bringing renewed hope that the Bellinger River Snapping Turtle can one day return to a thriving, self-sustaining population in the wild.

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