Last year, one lucky winner received more than $14,000 for generously supporting turtle welfare in Peterborough and across Ontario. This year, the winner of the 50/50 cash raffle held by the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre (OTCC) could walk away with even more.
Despite only launching on October 25, the third annual fundraiser has already surpassed $20,000, with 19 days still left to go as of the date of this story. Half of the final pot will go to the registered charity’s outreach and educational programming, with the other half making one supporter thousands of dollars richer.
“It’s an exciting way to host a fundraiser and raise money while also giving the community a bit of fun and the chance to win something,” says Katy O’Day, the OTCC’s general manager of non-veterinary programming.
Tickets for the 50/50 draw are available until Monday, November 25, with the draw happening the following day at 11 a.m. On sale now at www.rafflebox.ca/raffle/otcc-nov2024, raffle tickets are priced at $10 for one ticket, $20 for three, $50 for 12, or $100 for 40.
Home of the Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre, the OTCC is a Peterborough-based registered charity that protects and conserves Ontario’s native turtle species and their habitats through several capacities, not limited to treating, rehabilitating, and releasing injured turtles, conducting extensive field research, and running an education and outreach program.
“People might think summer is peak season for us, but the peak season doesn’t end and care doesn’t end,” O’Day notes. “Some turtles have injuries that are a bit too severe, and it might take a couple of years of physiotherapy for them to get their mobility back and then be released. Usually recovery goes on for months, and depending on the case, it can go on even longer.”
The 50/50 raffle happens as the OTCC nears the end of one of its busiest years. On top of a major move to an all-new purpose-built facility in October, the organization surpassed last year’s totals with more than 2,300 turtle intakes so far and over 4,000 released throughout 2024.
There’s no way to know for certain if such high rates are a result of a greater need for turtle care, or if it means OTCC has been successful in educating the public about of their services and the need to protect Ontario’s eight native turtle species — all of which are designated as at risk, either provincially or federally.
The funds raised from the 50/50 draw will go towards supporting the OTCC’s education and outreach programming to ensure even more community members become aware of the need for conservation efforts.
“We like to go out to schools, community groups, and different events around Ontario to educate the public and educate youth on the importance of turtles and wetlands, and how we want to work towards their sustainability,” O’Day explains.
While adult turtles — which have few natural predators and enjoy a long lifespan in the wild — have high survival rates, less than one in 100 laid eggs will hatch and grow into adult turtles. Nests are easily found and destroyed by predators, while those that do hatch are vulnerable, resulting in very few turtles reaching maturity.
Habitat destruction also create survival issues for turtles, as wetlands have been drained, filled, or altered by new roads and buildings, while other threats include vehicle strikes, boating mortality, fishing bycatch, and illegal catching.
“We try to educate on these threats the turtles are facing, the issues at play, what can be done if you find a turtle, and how the hospital operates,” O’Day says. “But we usually come back to the underlying reason why these animals are important to the wetland ecosystems and the threats they face.”
When going into schools and to organizations, the OTCC can customize programming to fit the needs of their audience, whether it entails a small chat, a larger workshop, or a virtual presentation.
“For classrooms, we can tailor to the age groups or even what they’re learning through their curriculum,” O’Day says. “If they want to learn more about the conservation aspect or if they want to learn more about the medicine aspect, we can do that.”
“We’re always trying to reach out to different groups that maybe haven’t experienced the turtles before, and we’re trying to hit new audiences that might not have species at risk conservation at the top of their mind, but also would be genuinely interested,” O’Day adds.
With its recent move to the 100-acre donated plot at 2785 Television Road in Peterborough that will support its expansion and growth, the OTCC will now have a designated educational centre.
Though not currently open as the OTCC had focused on outreach during the move, when the facility is open in the near future, it will offer more space for people to come in and learn about turtles in the ecosystem and their care in the hospital.
“We’ll be able to hold more groups, bring more kids into the classroom, and be able to offer more interactive, educational components, with learn-on-your-own tools,” O’Day says. “There’s so many animals and we want to be able to grow too, so this move definitely facilitates so many different things.”
While recent community donations have gone towards the move through the OTTC’s capital campaign, participants of the 50/50 draw can be assured their donations will support the education and outreach programs and, as such, will directly benefit the turtles.
“You might win a bunch of money which is lovely but, if not, you just ending up supporting the turtles and that’s really a win-win either way,” O’Day says. “Even just a few dollars gives you a chance to win. It’s a good sum of money and every dollar counts towards the turtles, so we appreciate any amount, and the turtles appreciate it, too.”
To learn more about the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre, visit ontarioturtle.ca.
