We’re Screwing Herbert Over
We’re Screwing Herbert Over
Zack Woodruff ‘28
Staff Writer
Opinion
Have you seen the endangered turtle on campus? If you are like many students, the answer is no, and that needs to change.
Herbert the diamondback terrapin has been a resident of the Lillard Science Center for around 30 to 40 years, according to Dr. Karen Kirk and Dr. Beth Herbert of the biology department. He is currently under the care of Dr. Herbert and her students, though his origins seem to predate any current staff knowledge.
If you have ever taken a science class, you might have seen his tank, which is located by the second-floor elevator. However, it seems that his current location is taking away the terrapin’s spotlight.
“I completely forgot about its existence, and I go [to Lillard] every day,” junior and biology major Nyah Evans said.
A turtle that should be the center of attention has faded into the background behind the rush of students and noisy elevator traffic. The problem is compounded by the poor size and quality of his tank. Having seemingly fallen to the wayside, the question of whether he is getting proper care must be asked, as students can tell Herbert isn’t getting what he needs.
“Every time you pass by the turtle, you feel a sense of loneliness,” junior, sociology and anthropology major, and biology major Paul Benjamin said. “Its reptile lifestyle is limited to a glass box.”
“I think it is incredibly unethical for a turtle to be inside an enclosure ill-fitting for them,” sophomore Kenveah Campbell said. “Think about it: if your mom gave you blue jeans, non-stretch, that were two sizes too small, would you still wear them? That tank won’t stretch. Something so precious as a turtle shouldn’t be living like a ghost in Lillard.”
According to Tortoiseturtle.com, Herbert’s species requires a 75 to 100-gallon tank. Moreover, diamondback terrapins have evolved to live in brackish waters: a mixture of 75% fresh and 25% seawater at temperatures of 75 to 80°F, with heated basking areas reaching up to 90°F, according to Reptile’s Cove. In the wild, terrapins like Herbert live in coastal estuaries and marshes, receiving high levels of sunlight on mudflats, rocks, and shorelines. These well-lit basking spots are essential for terrapins to dry themselves, avoiding health complications like shell rot. Herbert’s current tank lacks such spots; instead, he is nearly constantly submerged in murky water.
These are the basic conditions that Herbert’s species needs, but Herbert deserves more for all the years spent in his current tank. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Herbert’s species is listed as vulnerable on its red list. The diamondback terrapin’s coastal habitat has long been diminishing due to runoff caused by upstream pollution, urban development, construction of shipyards, and, in recent decades, the intensifying coastal weather patterns caused by global warming. Though it cannot do much to address large-scale habitat loss and conservation, the institution of Lake Forest College has been missing out on an opportunity to use our terrapin as a vital starting point to address the issues that his species face.
To start, we can work with Student Government to allocate funding for Herbert and future Herberts a better tank. Herbert has been here longer than anyone, and in his final decade of life, he deserves the best he can get. By helping him, we can provide valuable educational enrichment for biology and environmental studies classes.
I argue that a project should begin to construct a habitat for Herbert that mimics his native range. This tank could serve the biology department as an interactive educational display. For the environmental studies department, it can act in conjunction with the Shooting Star Savanna and greenhouse to enrich conservation classes and bring home the far-away issues of coastal habitat loss.
At the very least, Herbert needs a tank better suited to his unique ecological needs. However, I argue that a restoration project should begin by constructing a habitat for Herbert that mimics his native range, adding to the educational environment of Lillard, benefiting students and Herbert himself.
We owe it to Herbert and his species to educate our student body about the issues that his species is suffering. It is not enough to give him a bigger tank; our friend deserves to feel at home. The student body, Student Government, biology department, and environmental studies department need to allocate funding toward a restoration project that would benefit not just our friend Herbert, but everyone.