Blind turtle gets another shot at life with unique surgery

An injured 50-year-old snapping turtle may be the first of its kind to have undergone and survived a special cataract surgery.

The two-hour long procedure was completed on Tuesday at the Toronto Wildlife Centre.

There have been no reported cases of the unique operation being tried before on a wild freshwater turtle.

The reptile is currently recovering at the TWC and is expected to be released into the wild.

On Aug. 15, it was admitted to the Centre after people reported seeing it several times in the Park Lawn Rd. and Lakeshore Ave. area of Etobicoke.

Once at the TWC, staff figured out the turtle was missing his left eye and his right eye had a severe
cataract, which basically left him blind.

The turtle needed the surgery because sight is vital to any turtle’s survival in the wild.

The TWC also found injuries on the reptile’s feet and tail.

Snapping turtles have been classified as one of Ontario’s seven at-risk turtle species.

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