The University temporarily relocated the turtles from the turtle pond to the J.J. Pickle Research Campus until mid-December to repair a leak in the pond. 

University contractors prepped the pond for its necessary repairs by draining the water over a series of nights, said Travis LaDuc, a curator of herpetology at the UT Biodiversity Center.  LaDuc said students removed the turtles last month either by hand or with dip nets, and the turtles have adjusted well to their new environment. 

“The ponds (at the Pickle campus) are actually bigger than what we have on the main campus, so they were able to spread out quite a bit,” LaDuc said.

The pond previously underwent repairs in 2014 and 2005. The new repairs will improve the vegetation and landscape to prevent run-off and erosion, a University spokesperson said. The repairs will also include implementing a “pond liner” which will help prevent future leaks and instill waterproofing.

“The turtle ponds are an important visual highlight of campus and a peaceful spot right in the middle of the Forty Acres, so we’re excited to be maintaining and upgrading this habitat for the turtles, which we all love,” the spokesperson said. “These ponds are one of the places that help to make UT a special place.”

During the relocation, a student research lab will continue its project, which began last fall, of tracking and sampling the turtles to better understand their microbiomes. The University hopes to return the turtles to the pond before any winter freeze and in time for the spring breeding season, the spokesperson said. 

“We want to make sure that (the turtles) get a good home on campus,” LaDuc said. “If something is going on with the pond itself that is going to be detrimental to their overall health or the population, we want to address that, and maybe by some sort of preventative maintenance that’s the way they’re able to tackle it.”