Last weekend, more than 250 people from around the St. Louis region visited Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center to attend the 40th birthday party of a famous Missourian: a turtle named Peanut.
“My daughter loves turtles,” said Nick Eschbacher. “I think it's important to show her the effects that littering can have when it comes to wildlife.”
In 1993, the turtle was found in the St. Louis region by a hunter who noticed that she was stuck in a plastic six-pack ring. She'd been stuck in it so long that her shell grew around the plastic, giving it a unique, peanut-like shape. The St. Louis Zoo removed the ring and named her Peanut — a moniker the Missouri Department of Conservation continued to use once she was in its care.
Peanut’s story made international headlines, and she’s since become one of the best-known animal ambassadors for litter awareness.
“I remember becoming so much more aware of environmental issues as a kid because of Peanut’s story,” said Tierra Curry, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity. “It was a turning point for me.”
David Mizejewski, a naturalist with the National Wildlife Federation, said the decision to give the turtle a name was a critical part of her story taking hold and promoting social change.
“The real key to it all is that we know Peanut as ‘Peanut’ — she's not just, ‘that turtle,’” he said. “Human beings applying human traits, characteristics and motivations to other species is something that we guard against [in science, but] I think the right dose of anthropomorphism can be really powerful. If we can help the public relate to some of the challenges that wildlife are facing by spotlighting an individual and giving it a name, I think that that's a win-win.”
At Peanut’s birthday party, many parents spoke with their kids about what they can do to protect wildlife: pick up litter, recycle and cut plastic rings like the one that Peanut got stuck in more than 30 years ago.
Jen Henkhaus, a mother from St. Louis, also advocated for greater responsibility from corporations and manufacturers.
“If we are supposed to do better personally — and teach our kids — the companies could do better,” she said. “Some of the six-pack rings are going out, and a lot of beer companies are going with click-on ones. Those are all recyclable, [and they’re] solid, so nothing can swim through and be caught. A lot of places are moving to biodegradable straws.”
In addition to putting pressure on corporate entities to create biodegradable materials, Curry said people can also get involved in pushing for governmental policy to protect local wildlife species — including hellbenders, endangered salamanders that call Missouri home.
“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service right now is reviewing whether to put them on the endangered species list, which would help protect their habitat and give more funding for captive breeding programs,” Curry said. “People can write the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and say, ‘Please protect the Hellbender.’”
Conservation Department naturalist Matthew Cavanaugh said the number of people who attended Peanut’s 40th birthday party gives him hope.
“We see a high quantity of kids [at the nature center], and the amount of kids who walk up and say, ‘I found this piece of trash on the trail’ — or whose parents try to throw something away, and they go, ‘That's plastic, it can be recycled, Mom.’ … That kind of stuff really does give me hope,” he said. “It means that it's not just one person's fight; it's everyone gathering together to spread that cause.”
Matthew Cavanaugh, Tierra Curry and David Mizejewski joined St. Louis on the Air to discuss the power of individual stories like Peanut’s in promoting social change.
Listen to the conversation — and hear the story of how Peanut, who for years was believed to be a male turtle, was finally confirmed as female in 2020 — on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube, or click the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Ulaa Kuziez, Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
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