Newly Discovered Virus Is Killing Florida's Freshwater Turtles

FLORIDA — Freshwater turtles throughout the state are dying off at an alarming rate due to a mysterious virus that has no known cure.

Formerly known as turtle bunyavirus, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission has been studying what it's now calling turtle fraservirus 1 (TFV1) since early 2018, when the FWC first began to receive reports of sick and dead native freshwater turtles along the St. Johns River watershed from the headwaters near Palm Bay in the south to Crescent Lake and Palatka in the north, including smooth softshell turtles, spiny softshell turtles, yellow-bellied sliders, peninsula cooters, rear-eared sliders and Florida red-bellied cooters.

Eventually, the FWC also began getting reports of dead turtles in Lake Apopka, Eustis, Windermere and Cocoa Beach.

In all, the FWC received reports of 300 sick or dead turtles at that time. Startled by these unexplained turtle deaths, the FWC promptly launched a collaborative investigation with the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine Wildlife Aquatic Veterinary Disease Laboratory, the UF Aquatic Amphibian and Reptile Pathology Program, the Office of Protected Resources of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Bronson Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory.

The biologists initially suspected toxins from red tide and were surprised to discover, instead, that the turtles were dying from a new (novel) virus, said Michelle Kerr of the FWC.

Four years later, biologists still have no clue what causes the virus or how to stop it.

In the meantime, the virus has spread to freshwater turtles in other parts of the state including Putnam, Lake, Seminole, Orange, Polk, Osceola, Brevard, Indian River and Collier counties.

Earlier this year, the first case of TFV1 in an eastern snapping turtle was confirmed in southern Indian River County, indicating the virus has the ability to infect other species of freshwater turtles.

However, there is no current evidence to suggest that humans or wildlife other than turtles has been infected with TFV1.

To help track the spread of the virus and its effect on freshwater turtles, biologists are asking the public to report sightings of sick or dead turtles to the FWC by calling 352-339-8597 or through the FWC Reporter App. Photos can be uploaded through the Reporter App and will aid researchers in identifying the species and condition of the turtle.

A turtle may be sick if it displays any of the following signs:

• Appears sluggish, unresponsive or reluctant to flee.
• Stays in shallow water or beached on banks for prolonged periods of times.
• Has its head and neck outstretched flat along the ground.
• Has sunken, swollen, crusty or cloudy eyes.
• Has reddened skin on its head, neck, limbs or the bottom of its shell.
• Swims irregularly (sideways or in circles and is unable to submerge).

If you spot a sick or dead turtle:

• Do not touch it or attempt to move sick turtles.
• To avoid spreading the virus, do not capture, transport or release freshwater turtles, even those that appear healthy, to new locations.
• The FWC has enacted executive order #21-19, which prohibits taking or transporting freshwater softshell turtle species or yellow-bellied sliders until the order is repealed.

Lianne D'Arcy of the UF Thompson Earth Systems Institute said the discovery of the fatal virus comes at a time when freshwater turtles are already facing increasing threats due to illegal wildlife trade, coastal development eliminating their habitats, hotter sand temperatures due to rising global temperatures, entanglement in marine debris and, most recently, the discovery of turtles dying after ingesting tiny plastic pellets produced by plastic waste that has broken down. The pellets, covered in algae, smell like food to the turtles. When a turtle eats plastic, it becomes lodged in their intestines and inhibits their ability to properly digest and absorb food, often resulting in death.

According to George L. Heinrich, executive director of the Florida Turtle Conservation Trust, Florida is home to more than 30 native turtle species, most of which are freshwater turtles.

He said they play a key role in Florida's ecosystem. Through their scavenging, they help control vegetation overgrowth, helping maintain the health of rivers and lakes.

For more information about TFV1, visit MyFWC.com/wildlifehabitats, click on “Wildlife,” then “Freshwater Turtles” and “Turtle Fraservirus 1.”