One
of my co-workers witnessed the horrible demise of a turtle trying to cross the
road. She passed it and turned around to
try and help it. After she got out of
the car a truck came by and no more turtle.
She was devastated.
Photo from www.silive.com
Then
yesterday my husband saw a turtle trying to cross the road. He stopped to help it and was
successful. It turned out to be a pretty
good sized snapping turtle who really didn’t appreciate his help. Of course, as my faithful readers know, this
got me to thinking…(look out, she’s
thinking again)… What would you do
if you saw a turtle trying to cross the road?
The
first thing you should do is make sure it is safe to stop and assist. If it’s not, call you local animal control or
DNR office to let them know. No matter
how much you want to help, your safety comes first. The DNR recommends that you do nothing because
they can be feisty and there is a chance you will be bitten. Turtles are also known to carry the salmonella
bacteria.
Photo from www.tortoisereserve.org
Why
is the turtle in the road in the first place?
A couple reasons: May and June
are egg laying season for turtles and females will leave the water to find dry
land to lay their eggs. They have a hereditary
area that they like to go to and sometimes they cross the road. Other reasons are that it is the path of
least resistance, the fact that they like to sun themselves on the concrete, or
to avoid rushing water in a culvert after too much rain.
Photo from totallycoolpix.com
Whatever
the reason, sometimes they will need a little help to avoid being hit. Most turtles, if you pick them up by the
edges of their shell between their front and back legs, will just hide in their
shell. Snapping turtles on the other
hand can be downright ornery. Snapping
turtles are heavy and will put up a fight.
If they are too big or too feisty, use a shovel, stick, or broom to shoo
them across the road. Better to be safe
rather than sorry.
There
are two rules of thought as to which direction to move them. Most say move them the direction they were
traveling, especially if it is a female laying eggs as they know where they
want to lay them. It’s instinct. Others say take them back the way they came
because they will just have to cross the road again to get back to their
natural territory. If they are on their
way to lay eggs, then anywhere from 90 to 120 days the babies will be crossing
the road to get to the water.
Photo from ookaboo.com
So
with this in mind, be on the lookout for turtles crossing the road anytime
between May and September. After all…they
just want to get to the other side.
Be
Well & Be Happy
Pet~Pourri
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