Investigation underway after dozens of turtles found dead in Apopka pond

Dozens of turtles found dead in Apopka pond

Wildlife officials and the City of Apopka are investigating after dozens of dead turtles were found in a local pond, prompting concern from residents and a viewer tip to FOX 35 News.

APOPKA, Fla. - Wildlife officials and the City of Apopka are investigating after dozens of dead turtles were found in a local pond, prompting concern from residents and a viewer tip to FOX 35 News.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) said it has collected samples from the pond and the turtles to help determine the cause of death.

What’s killing turtles in an Apopka pond?

The backstory:

Dozens of turtles have washed up around the banks of the pond. Some climbed slightly outward toward the grass, and appear to have been partially eaten or have begun decomposing.

What visitors say

What they're saying:

Most people FOX 35 News Reporter Marie Edinger talked with hadn’t noticed the reptiles.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX LOCAL APP

Vivian Rizo hadn’t seen the dead turtles until Edinger pointed them out.

"It just makes me really sad because I love turtles," said Rizo. "I love any animal, so I wish there was something we could do to help them." 

What the city says

The other side:

Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson told Edinger the FWC officers were running tests on the turtles themselves, and on the water.

Mayor Nelson says he also contacted the company that services the lake. 

"We’ve got four chemicals that they put out on the pond which all the normal chemicals that they do on a regular basis, so nothing is out of the ordinary from what we've sprayed the lake with."

To know for sure what’s impacting these turtles, Mayor Nelson says we’ll have to wait for the FWC’s samples.

"I'm sure tissue analysis aren't quick. So I would think probably a week to two weeks before they get back to us as to if there's anything that they could determine."

What the FWC says

After FOX 35 News reached out about this, the FWC sent scientists over to collect samples.

SIGN-UP FOR FOX 35'S BREAKING NEWS, DAILY NEWS NEWSLETTERS

The FWC told FOX 35 News in a statement, "FWC encourages public reports sick, strangely-behaving or dead freshwater turtles to: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/8f1a3c2231f94f0aa50f5a5f0ed1ed49.

 These reports help the FWC monitor and track health trends across Florida. While individual responses aren’t always possible, every submission adds valuable data."

The FWC does say there’s a disease impacting softshell turtles right now: TFV1.