So Happy Together: Turtles live the good life at Gulf Park campus

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SUN HERALD (Gulfport, Mississippi) 03 June 08 So Happy Together: Turtles live the good life at Gulf Park campus (Ryan LaFontaine)
Long Beach: Officials at USM are experiencing a bit of shell shock at the large number of turtles roaming the Gulf Park campus.
Instead of ducking for cover at the first sign of people, these tough terrapins actually come running, albeit very slowly.
The turtles seem shell-bent on devouring whatever is tossed to them from the wooden bridge over Bear Creek, which runs throughout the property.
Shelia White, director of marketing, public relations and recruitment for USM Gulf Coast, said construction workers repairing the campus after Katrina fed dog food to the turtles, and nowadays, the turtles push through schools of small fish under the bridge to snatch the falling food.
"They're used to being fed, and now when they hear footsteps or see people on the bridge they come up," White said.
Trying to determine exactly how many turtles are on the campus appears to be somewhat of a shell game, but USM officials estimate the population in the creek is well into the hundreds.
Near the bridge, which is north of the library, there could be as many as 60 turtles, including a new batch of babies.
Among the turtles on campus are the rare soft-shell turtle, Mississippi mud turtles, snapping turtles and slider turtles, and all of them have become very popular.
"Our faculty, students and staff have all joined in feeding the turtles," White said. "I think they're actually enjoying the good life on the Gulf Park campus."
USM's biological sciences department has worked with the turtles in Bear Creek, and White said the university will continue to monitor its turtle population.
http://www.sunherald.com/278/story/600104.html

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