When you think of Belle Isle in the Detroit River, you may think of picnics, kayaks, fishing and birds. Add Shelley, a social alligator snapping turtle with a playful personality. You won’t find Shelley on a rock in the Detroit River, but she can been seen plodding along happily in her custom terrarium in Detroit’s historic Belle Isle Aquarium. For the second year in a row, Shell has partnered with the Belle Isle Conservancy to increase access to the beloved aquarium and support conservation efforts on Lake Okonoka, located on the far eastern side of the island.

Shell in Michigan

“Shell has a large presence in Detroit and Southeast Michigan," said Heidi Massey-Bong, Shell Global Manager of Sponsorship, “from our many retail gas stations, to the blending plant at River Rouge, to support of the Detroit Grand Prix here on the Isle and the NASCAR races in Brooklyn.”

“We wanted to show our thanks to Detroit and support our many partners. I can’t think of a better way than to support the educational and conservation work of the Belle Isle Conservancy,” she added.

“Plus, Shelley the snapping turtle is a great mascot,” she adds with a grin.

Shelley is an alligator snapping turtle, native to southern Louisiana. While you can’t tell the sex of a turtle just by looking at it, the team at Shell decided it looked like a “Shelley” and the name has stuck with Shell employees and Belle Isle Conservancy staff.