08/20/2026
Happy 30th Birthday, Cleo! ๐ข๐ Our resident turtle, Cleo the Red-eared slider, recently celebrated a milestone birthday with some very special birthday cards from our campers.
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Cleo was originally bought as a pet, but her first owner hadn't anticipated how long she might live or how big she could get.
As eating has always been one of Cleo's favourite hobbies, she eventually outgrew her living space and was ready for a larger habitat.
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Red-eared sliders aren't native to Ontario, so Cleo could not be released into the wild because she isn't acclimatized to Canadian winters and could compete with native turtles for important resources:
โข Food sources
โข Prime basking sites
โข Nesting areas
She now has a larger habitat inside the Centre for Urban Ecology, where she can live out her remaining years.
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ป ๐ง๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐จ๐ ๐
For over a decade, Cleo has been educating Arboretum campers, school groups, students and the public about invasive species and responsible exotic pet ownership, while bringing a smile to their faces.
