ICYMI: Turtle Deaths A Mystery In Queens Park

FLUSHING, QUEENS – The beloved turtle population at Bowne Park has mysteriously been dying off in recent days, according to city officials.

NY1 counted more than a dozen turtles floating dead in the water this week. "And that doesn't count the ones that park visitors have been fishing out of the water and throwing away," the news station said. (Video below.)

Some residents have speculated the turtles are being killed by litter left in the park.

But a spokeswoman for NYC Parks said she doubted trash was the problem. "While litter always negatively affects our city’s natural habitats, we believe that it’s very unlikely that it would cause this pattern and number of deaths," she said.

NYC Parks officials do have a couple other theories, though.

Over the winter, Bowne Park's turtles go into "torpor," a state of decreased activity similar to hibernation, in order to survive cold weather that kills off their food supply (bugs, plants, etc.) and brings their body temperatures down to dangerous lows.

However, because of the unusual warm spell that hit the city near the end of winter this year, an NYC Parks spokeswoman explained, the Bowne Park turtles may have woken up early. And when it got cold again, they might not have been strong enough — or found enough food — to survive.

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Another factor could also be at play.

The dead turtles are mostly of the "red-eared slider" variety, according to the city. This type of turtle — the most popular type to be kept as pets — is often abandoned in the park by former owners.

"This is dangerous for both the red-eared slider and for native turtles," an NYC Parks spokeswoman said over email, because "a pet slider is not accustomed to hibernating during the winter when lakes and ponds freeze over, and may introduce diseases to wild populations as well as compete with them for food resources."

"Parks are not suitable homes for animals not indigenous — domesticated or otherwise," the spokeswoman said.

In order to create a healthier habitat for turtles and other animals at Bowne Park, NYC Parks officials plan to reconstruct the pond. Their plan would "improve water quality, decrease algae and control erosion on surrounding slopes" by installing a "new filtration system, new pipes and landscape improvements."

Below is an early proposal for the park's new design, which has yet to be finalized.

This story has been updated. Lead photo by Cesar Bahamon/Flickr