ST. LOUIS — One of Forest Park's most famous residents wasn't able to survive last week's polar vortex.
Georgette the box turtle had been studied by the St. Louis Box Turtle Project for years, before being found dead on Monday.
The turtle became famous after the Saint Louis Zoo's box turtle project found her in 2013.
She was given a tracking device, so the Zoo could monitor her behavior to learn more about the turtles.
Georgette moved almost halfway across Forest Park, survived an upper-respiratory infection and lost one of her front legs in a predator attack while she was being studied by the Zoo.
The St. Louis Box Turtle Project observed Georgette was having trouble hibernating the past few years due to the loss of her leg, and last week's temperatures from the polar vortex were just too much for her.
The project is permitted by the Missouri Department of Conservation as a wildlife study, and does not allow researchers to treat turtles or bring them in from the cold.
