Elsie is a mascot. A mascot for the White Throated Snapping Turtle Elsaya albagula, a freshwater turtle that occurs only in the Burnett, Fitzroy and Mary Catchments. The Burnett Catchment Care Association long with a number of partners, collaborators, and other concerned folk worked together on the recovery of this very important species.

This turtle is the largest species of chelid turtles in Australia with a carapace (shell) length reaching 420mm. This turtle is mainly herbivorous, eating a range of aquatic plants, fallen fruits and occasionally insects and mollusks.

Nesting season is when the turtle is most under threat.  They’re unborn offspring become easy food for both native and feral predators, making establishing a large healthy population challenging.  BCCA got behind the study that was conducted on these turtles to ensure that their population will continue for generations to come!

The aim of this project was to protect the Turtle’s nesting sites, allowing the turtle eggs to successfully incubate. Initially, there were numerous nest sites identified along the Burnett River and throughout the project more were identified.

​The White-Throated Snapping Turtle starts nesting around May through to July and the eggs hatch in December – January. Presently the species is under threat due to predation of eggs from foxes, wild dogs, pigs and in some cases trampling of cattle along the river banks where they nest.

Throughout the program several nesting areas were protected using electric fencing and baiting to keep wild dogs and foxes from destroying the nests.  This was made possible thanks to a couple of Green Army and National Green Jobs Corps groups run through IMPACT Make Your Mark in Bundaberg.