I received the following comment from Tamia Nelson on my recent turtle post. Since not everyone reads the comments, I thought I'd put it here for greater coverage.
Thanks for your post on keeping an eye open for turtles. I've been spreading the word about how people can safely move turtles to safety, even large snappers. For this I received the assistance of turtle expert and rehabilitator Kathy Michell. I call this becoming a Turtle Taxi, and you can read what to do in "Help Turtles Cross Roads" at: http://www.tamiasoutside.com/help_turtles/
and "Become a Turtle Taxi" at:
http://www.tamiasoutside.com/turtletaxi/
...and here's a printable quick guide to carry in your car, your backpack, or on your bike so there's always guidance at hand:
http://www.tamiasoutside.com/2009/05/12/ttguide/print/
The more folks who learn how to safely move turtles out of harm's way, the better! Thanks for your efforts!
It's my pleasure, Tamia! I hope others will visit these sites and make turtle assistance a part of their driving routines.
On my way to North Creek today to do a school program I passed the mostly flattened remains of a snapper along the roadside. This turtle had to have been deliberately run over because she was off to the side of the road. I'm sure none of my readers would be in the same category of those who intentionally run down wildlife, but I hope they do realize that it is illegal to do so. If you witness someone doing this, take down the license plate number and report them. A good judge will see that justice is done.
I saw a couple pulled over helping a turtle off the edge of the shoulder on 28N last Thursday evening. It was a big turtle, I will definitely be reading up on how to safely move a turtle along, thanks for sharing the information.
ReplyDeleteHey, Ellen, thanks for helping to spread the word! It's a terrible thing that people hit turtles, particularly when they do so deliberately. Hopefully, education will turn some folks around.
ReplyDeleteThanks again!