Okanagan Turtle Adoption Program is a non-profit organization in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia which takes in pet turtles and finds them new homes. The four tenets of the organization are turtle adoptions, research, education and conservation. The program started in 2015, in partnership with Okanagan Pet City, a pet store in Kelowna which specialized in tropical fish, reptiles and exotic pets. Pet City closed at the end of 2017 however the turtle adoption program continued on while expanding into other areas of turtle conservation. Ultimately our aim is to help reduce the number of invasive turtles which are being introduced into the wild because they pose a threat to the indigenous Western Painted Turtles.
Justin DeMerchant – Executive Director
Bachelor of Arts, University of British Columbia Okanagan
Major: Anthropology, Minor: Earth and Environmental Sciences
Ethan Kachkowski – Animal Care Assistant