Giant turtle expected as special guest during 60th anniversary of the 'Hunt for Oscar'
(Talk of the Town photo provided) Rusty Reed, owner of Blackwater Refuge near Churubusco, studies “Crunch,” a 150-200 year-old alligator snapping turtle.
By Viv Sade
Oscar the Turtle will be this year's Grand Marshal of the 2009 Turtle Days Festival parade and the 60th anniversary celebration of the Hunt for Oscar.
Oscar will lead the festival parade Saturday night, June 20, at 6 p.m.
In honor of the 60th anniversary of the hunt that drew global headlines in 1949, the Turtle Days Festival Committee has lined up several new events, including a special exhibit of memorabilia, photos, videos and/or film footage which will be available for viewing all four nights of the festival, June 17-20.
"History hosts" will be on hand to discuss the exhibit and video and film footage featuring the hunt for Oscar and other aspects of Churubusco's history will be shown continuously throughout the festival.
At the center of the special history exhibit will be guest star "Crunch," a 165-pound alligator snapping turtle, owned and cared for by Blackwater Turtle Refuge. Both exhibits will be housed on the fairgrounds in the Churubusco Community Park in the Boy Scout building.
Crunch is between 150 and 200 years old, according to Rusty Reed, owner of Blackwater Refuge, located in rural Churubusco.
The giant turtle's head is 9.5 inches wide and he is over 4-feet long. Reed says the reptile eats about 6-9 pounds of food at 1-2 week intervals.
The exhibit is a proven crowd pleaser for young and old alike. Reed travels across the U.S.A. , exhibiting the giant turtle and educating people on protecting the alligator snapper species.
Crunch was captured in 1979, according to Reed. "We believe he was originally captured in Mississippi," Reed said, "but that is not certain."
Reed became his owner in 1989 after purchasing him from the only legal stockhold of alligator snappers in southern Georgia.
Reed used to house over 60 of the snappers, but has since placed them and sold them to zoos around the world.
Alligator snappers are listed as endangered and are protected in all states in their natural range, Reed said, although they still allow trapping for personal consumption in Louisiana .
Crunch and Reed travel about 10,000 miles a year - in a special climate-controlled vehicle and storage tank - and see an average of 250,000 people.
To see more of this year's events or to register for any event, go to thewww.turtledays.com. For more information on Crunch and alligator snapping turtles go to www.crunchinfo.com.