TOPEKA (KSNT) - Kansas wildlife officials are preparing to release more of a rarely seen species after initial success last year. Staff with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) released a batch of 40 alligator snapping turtles into their former home range in the Neosho River in Sep tember 2024. Now, the KDWP is looking to release more of the turtles to boost their numbers in the Sunflower State. Daren Riedle, wildlife diversity coordinator with the KDWP, told 27 News staff are working out another release date for early May. Riedle said the KDWP will closely monitor the turtles to see how they react to their new home and keep track of where they go in Kansas. "It appears some of the turtles have stayed close to their release site, but we didn’t expect them to do much over the winter," Riedle said. "This next year will be the biggie, as last year's turtles will have a full activity season at the new site. No dead turtles have been observed, but two live turtles have been photographed.” Alligator snapping turtles are back in Kansas after a more than 30-year absence. Biologists hope the species reestablishes in the waters of the Neosho River. (Photo Courtesy/Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks)(Photo Courtesy/Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks)(Photo Courtesy/Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks) Park officials target invasive trees spreading in Topeka The KDWP tracks the progress of each turtle through the use of special radio tags that allows the agency to keep tabs on where they go after being released. The turtles were reintroduced to Kansas last year after being absent from the state for more than 30 years. The alligator snapping turtles were brought back to the state as part of the Kansas Aquatic Species Recovery program. You can learn more about this KDWP program by clicking here. For more Kansas Outdoors, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf ...read more read less