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My daughter and I were leaving the parking lot of a grocery store, when I noticed an enormous snapping turtle attempting to cross the street. It is a "busy" street, with a 30 mph zone, but as there is a straight stretch at the edge of the town, many drivers speed. I pulled over to the side, determined to assist the turtle,
From late May to mid-June, I carry a coal shovel in the back of my vehicle, as turtles are out and about seeking prime territory to lay their eggs. While I do not use the shovel for the smaller types of turtles, decades of familiarity with snapping turtles has convinced me that a coal shovel works best. However, a couple of weeks ago, I had taken the shovel out.
The gentleman behind me also saw the turtle, and recognizing what I was attempting to do, he stopped his vehicle in the middle of the street, and put on his emergency flashers. Soon, traffic was lined up for some distance both ways. It was nice that no one seemed impatient, or beeped their horns, etc. This made me as happy as the sight of dead turtles along a road makes me unhappy.
All I had in the vehicle was a short section of rope. I would not advise attempting to use rope for snapping turtle crossings. Instead, I used my self, a tool that is not much quicker than the average turtle. In doing so, I noted this creature's head was about as huge as any that I've seen (so large a head, we might be related).
After getting it across, traffic resumed. People then beeped their horns, waved, etc. I then watched this turtle go down a mildly steep bank, and crawl into a small stream.
There is a lot wrong in this world. Our society has so many serious problems, that it can seem overwhelming at times. Our culture feels like it is spinning faster and faster, out of control. It's important, I think, to take the time to stop in situations like the one I found myself in yesterday.
Fumesucker
(45,851 posts)H2O Man
(73,333 posts)I haven't "stopped by" DU in a while, and about as soon as I did this evening, I was summoned to jury duty. After that, I read a few OP/threads, and noted a bit of hostility. So I was hoping that my little (true) story about the huge snapping turtle might get our friends here to pull over on the information highway, and enjoy the happy ending.
hlthe2b
(101,730 posts)I just love watching them all waddle across a busy Boulevard, young ones in tow. I've never seen anyone even honk.
Sadly (and conversely), there is a long established elk crossing along 6th Avenue in Golden, near the foothills. While they cross seasonally and great effort has been taken to erect a series of electronic signs warning drivers, there seems to never fail to have several killed.
Some things in life are more important than getting there on time.
Good on you for taking the time!
Your message reminded me of a favorite poem, by my friend Joseph Bruchac:
Entering Onondaga
The old man
must have stopped our car
two dozen times to climb out
and gather into his hands
the small toads blinded
by our lights and leaping,
live drops of rain.
The rain was falling
a midst above his white hair
and I kept saying
you can't save them all,
accept it, get back in,
we've got places to go.
But, leathery hands full
of wet brown life,
knee-deep in the summer
roadside grass,
he just smiled and said
"they have places to go,
too."
(It's funny, while my daughter and I were in the store, I saw an Oneida man who I had only met once, back in 1994. Onondaga Chief Paul Waterman had suffered a serious stroke, and his daughter had called and said that I should come to the hospital in Syracuse the next morning. That's where I met this gentleman. It was good to see him again. Time passes so quickly, it seems.)
hlthe2b
(101,730 posts)sit outside listening to (and perhaps talking to) the little toads each spring and summer.
... more than one way to "stop and smell the roses," it seems.
H2O Man
(73,333 posts)sons use that poem, in their book about Chief Waterman.
KatyMan
(4,147 posts)channel William Carlos Williams. Love it!
giftedgirl77
(4,713 posts)We used to do the same thing when we lived in FL. I hate seeing the poor little guys trying to dodge traffic.
H2O Man
(73,333 posts)When I was in the 9th grade, I remember my English teacher having our class read a short story about a young man and his father driving by a snapping turtle along the roadside. The young man stopped, and wanted to kill the turtle with a metal bar. The father said that would be unfair: if the young man wanted to confront the turtle, he should help it back into the nearby pond, and challenge it without the metal bar.
They certainly move faster in the water, than on land. I hate seeing them dead on the road. Last summer, my daughters and I stopped to assist one on a country road; a teen-aged male came along, and swerved to purposely hit it, before I could help it.
The Straight Story
(48,121 posts)A turtle was walking across the road while we were driving through Tar Hollow state park. We grabbed it and took it to the ranger station.
They thanked us and said they would keep it there for awhile to show kids and such and eventually release it near the lake/pond (I call it a pond....). We probably should have just helped it cross the road I guess but the ranger station was just down the road an my x was worried about it
I found this website (the turtle there looks like the one we helped)
Turtle In the Road! - What Should I Do?
http://www.turtlerescueleague.com/crossing/titr.html
H2O Man
(73,333 posts)bring the smaller ones out to our pond, which is surrounded by a swamp and some woods. I've been fascinated with turtles (and toads, etc) since I was a little boy. I'll bet that the ranger sparked some other youngsters' interest in them, with the one you saved!
The Straight Story
(48,121 posts)I generally fish for carp and catfish and was at the creek one day fishing using chicken livers and I had a 100lb test line (yeah...over kill).
Got a slow bite (turtles tend to nibble) and yanked the line and was reeling it in.
Now I have caught many turtles there, mostly snapping turtles.
What I pulled in was the biggest turtle I have ever seen in the wild and it scared both me and x when it surfaced. Only turtle I have seen bigger was at the Columbus Zoo. It was probably 30+ inches across it's shell, it's head was bigger than my fist.
I have seen some big critters down there, including gold fish, big gar, and a carp that could not have been less than a yard in length. But that turtle was just insane. My x and I still mention it anytime someone brings up the creek (sadly, we have also seen really odd growths on some fish there, probably from the run off of de-icing crap from the airport - which prompted me to do some research on the whole thing and basically the epa reports here have a lot of data on just that topic).
H2O Man
(73,333 posts)my best friend and I spent a lot of time hanging out at his grandfather's house. Ike was our rural neighborhood's Elder, and though not formally educated, he was one of the smartest human beings I have ever met. He lived off the land. Recently, my buddy was able to buy his grandfather's farm, and we enjoy remembering "the good old days" there, from our childhoods.
Ike caught snappers in the swamp/bog, for turtle soup. Maybe it was because the area was so rural, these turtles tended to live longer, hence they grew larger. Less traffic and less pollution, for sure. Maybe a week ago, we were talking about the biggest one we ever saw -- and it sounds about the size you mention. Even a couple days after Ike killed it, if you rubbed a stick across its head, it would snap it in two.
BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)A dead turtle can still move? Is it some reflex the muscles retain? I've never heard of this but it's damned interesting.
H2O Man
(73,333 posts)Saw my buddy today, at the farm. We compared notes on recent turtle sightings, etc. I asked him if he remembered the number of days the turtle had been dead when we put the sticks in front of it -- he remembers it the same as I do. The nerves in their heads are similar, I suppose, to when a farmer butchers chickens, and they will run around headless.
As others have noted, snapping turtles can do damage. We used to toss chicken bones in near them, and watch them snap them. The bigger the turtle, of course, the larger its head, including jaw.
BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)But two days?? What a wonder is nature. I can't believe the body could hold enough energy that long to snap a stick. Thanks for teaching me something. I'll stay away from those buggers if ever I see one. I scuba dive, and we are always on the lookout for turtles, and I've swam with some serious sharks, but these turtles give me the willies.
Zombie Turtle
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)They are pretty common here in Ohio. They were more common before the blizzard of 1978. But their numbers are on the increase.
Snapping Turtles, on the other hand, are not so fortunate. Snapping Turtles are considered to be excellent food by many thousands of Ohio turtle eaters.
independentpiney
(1,510 posts)Little things like that keep life worth living.
H2O Man
(73,333 posts)At at time when I've been dealing with a lot of unpleasant things, it more than made my day.
CaliforniaPeggy
(149,308 posts)Generations of yet unborn turtles owe you their lives!
And I sure do love stories like this with happy endings...
H2O Man
(73,333 posts)Curious things, snapping turtles. Last year, my wife gave me a large, realistic looking statue of one. I put it out at the edge of my pond, and a few friends thought it was real. The one yesterday was about the same size. It must have been pretty old, and being an old creature myself, I probably identified with it.
hfojvt
(37,573 posts)Do you now need a place to hide away?
I'm not half the man I used to be,
now that I've become an amputee."
-- John Lennon
maddiemom
(5,106 posts)credited to Lennon/McCartney, but many were written individually. Considering their bitter rivalry in later years, it seems only fair to give credit where due to either one. It's also probably Paul's best known solo, as well. Not to get all serious, since you were just quoting a little, joking play on the song..sorry about that.
H2O Man
(73,333 posts)My interest in The Beatles began the first night they played on the Ed Cellephane Shoe. Since then, I have collected 167 Beatles & post-Beatles LPs; well over 100 books on the groups/members; purchased every Beatles/Lennon/Harrison CD to date; played with members of the Plastic Ono Band; and my sister-in-law is close friends with Yoko. Hence, I have enjoyed not only the access to most all the information/music available to the General Pubic, but even more so (thus, I am wearing a Lennon t-shirt).
Therefore, two things:
(not necessarily in order)
-- seconds after Paul alonely did "Yesterday" live before an audience, who then clapped, John can be heard saying, "Thank you, Ringo. That was wonderful."
(leading indirectly to)
-- in his home studio in NYC, John did record his own Lee version of "Yesterday," with the exact lyrics I attributed to him in the quote where I thus did therefore quote him.
Years ago, my wife bought me the trivial hair-suit game version "The Beatles." I correctly answered everiest question. I know very little in or about life (especially "why?" , but I do know Beatles, northeastern archaeology, boxing, and at least two other things that I've forgotten.
maddiemom
(5,106 posts)maddiemom
(5,106 posts)LiberalElite
(14,691 posts)H2O Man
(73,333 posts)beevul
(12,194 posts)We do the same for painted turtles out here, as we get grain/corn trucks barreling down these back roads where we live quite regularly.
I also carry a snake stick with me, for the occasional rattler or hog nose or bull snake.
Good on ya, for stopping.
I usually have a cane/ walking stick in the vehicle with me, and had never thought about using it to help snakes. And I do see lots dead at the roadside. Thanks for sharing that with me.
The people around here tend to aim for snakes on the road, especially rattlesnakes, which are plentiful.
I carry a snake stick and tongs in my truck to nudge them to safety.
sheshe2
(83,355 posts)H2O Man
(73,333 posts)sheshe2
(83,355 posts)Way to long day at work!
Thank you H2O Man, you did good!
Zorra
(27,670 posts)My bumper sticker.
Thanks!
..thank you...
Martin Eden
(12,803 posts)Beauty fills the senses, and make all the sense in the world
GliderGuider
(21,088 posts)As you can clearly see, his gratitude was boundless.
H2O Man
(73,333 posts)I took a half-dozen pictures of one that my daughter and I assisted. But it wasn't smiling, like your's!
GliderGuider
(21,088 posts)That turned into a snapper refuge of sorts. We had 3 or 4 in there at times. We stopped swimming in it... My folks kept it stocked with goldfish, so the turtles got to be a pretty good size. Probably the biggest I saw in there was a bit over a yard long, but we got lots of two-footers.
My folks would periodically drain the pond to do repairs, and the turtles would dig themselves down into the mud bottom and wait for the "rains" to come again. it was fascinating to see a turtle track going out into the middle of the pond floor, and ending at a disturbed patch where he'd dug his way straight down into the mud.
I love them, they are such intense creatures!
MarianJack
(10,237 posts)...that my cats show!
PEACE!
Pharaoh
(8,209 posts)And Thank you H20 Man..........
Boomerproud
(7,889 posts)was how pleased and surprised you were by the attitude and helpfulness of your fellow commuters. I'm sure that is what filled your heart.
RebelOne
(30,947 posts)Too bad bad you did not have it on video tape. It would have been a YouTube viral hit.
lastlib
(22,981 posts)liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)streets. My husband once tried helping a turtle across a street. A semi was coming up fast so my husband had to get out of the way. The semi positioned himself so that the turtle would be in the middle between his tires. He did not hit it. My husband then got back in the road and pushed it down an embankment. He said it was funny watching it go down the embankment. It seemed to know at that point it needed to hurry as fast as it could.
longship
(40,416 posts)When I drive in the warm months (Michigan) I always am on the lookout for turtles who apparently like to sun themselves on the gravel roads here. I have seen too damned many of them squashed by car or tractor tires. What we have here are the more common turtles, not snappers -- although they inevitably try to bite your fingers off when you attempt to assist them.
The secret is to grab them from the back of their shell, shoving their rear legs into their shell -- those legs do have claws -- and carry them in the direction they're pointing on the road, or towards the nearest wet place, whichever is closest.
I have done this a few times each year and it is a very satisfying thing to do.
Thanks for the post.
R&K
matt819
(10,749 posts)A couple of Sundays ago my daughter and I were driving along a fairy busy state highway - speed limit at that spot is 50 mph. People are pretty good about not speeding, but still, the traffic is moving. So there we were, coming to a stop in the middle of the highway - no cross roads, just stopped cars, on both sides, east and west. As we get closer, we see the reason - a mother turkey and her babies were crossing the road. These little ones looked like they were just born; they were a riot, tripping all over themselves, with the mother circling around to make sure they were all accounted for. It was ridiculously cute, and no one was honking or impatient. I've seen the same thing around here with turtles.
niyad
(112,435 posts)moments of generosity, caring, kindness, thoughtfulness, love and beauty.
and thank you especially for the turtle. I hear from a friend who often tells me about turtles run over, often deliberately. am so glad to know that you and the person who stopped traffic were able to help, and that people seemed genuinely happy to be witnesses.
DonRedwood
(4,359 posts)applegrove
(118,022 posts)the last second and managed to not hit him. I had to go a half mile to turn around and get back to him. I was sure he would be so hurt when I got bavk. He was fine. Upside down on the side of the road. I put him on the grass he had been trying to get to. Poor little guy.
Rhiannon12866
(203,030 posts)When I was in school, I worked summers at an amusement park. I got word one day that they'd caught a snapping turtle in the "river" where the swan boats traveled and had plans to shoot him. They were worried about lawsuits if anyone was bitten. So I walked right over there to confront my boss, told him the turtle would be fine if he was just left alone. Fortunately, my boss liked me, so put the turtle in a box with holes in it and a string around it and said the turtle was now mine.
I called my Dad, who's the reason I love animals, and he picked me up and we took the turtle to a small lake not far away and let him go. My Dad knew the exact right place, right near the local country club where he was a member, LOL, since he knew there was already a population of snapping turtles there.
We did that same thing numerous times that summer. My boss would hand me a turtle in a box, I'd call my Dad and we'd let the turtle go in the community of his fellows.
I told that story at my father's funeral. People there knew my Dad as a businessman, active in community affairs, charities, politics, but I wanted to let them know that my Dad was an animal lover. That was the most important and precious thing to me...
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)He sounds like a really good person.
Rhiannon12866
(203,030 posts)And, yes, my Dad was pretty cool, definitely a good person. He really liked people and they liked them back and both of my dogs loved him best. He was also a Republican, though he wasn't partisan, and I just can't see him putting up with someone like Bush* for a minute, let alone with what's been going on now. I guess he was one of a now extinct breed, a socially liberal Republican. He once spent the day hosting Shirley Chisholm, part of a group hosting visiting dignitaries, and became a life long admirer of hers. Thanks for your kind words...
hue
(4,949 posts)mainer
(12,013 posts)Those things are scary. I once tried moving a dinner-plate sized snapping turtle across the road and instantly gave up when its head whipped around almost to its own tail. A coal shovel is the way to do it -- if you have it!
mnhtnbb
(31,319 posts)I've helped numerous little Carolina box turtles across the road this year. Seems like I've seen more of them
than usual this year. But they're tiny and won't bite--unlike snapping turtles!
Good for you!
MarianJack
(10,237 posts)...my mom and I were driving on a road in Florida. We saw a turtle crossing the road. My mom stopped the car and I got out and picked the turtle up and got him across the road. The turtle was about the size of a 10 pound bag of flour.
It was no big deal, but we felt good about helping that turtle. Kudos to you for helping the turtles where you live and good that there were no horses' patoots in line!
PEACE!
MineralMan
(146,192 posts)bigtree
(85,919 posts)tweeted by, Shauna ?@ShaunaDeNada 15m
ICYMI RT @timothywjohnson Fox News' Turtle Coverage By Topic http://mm4a.org/13I77vn pic.twitter.com/4RIPBjoeP8
myrna minx
(22,772 posts)MrNJ
(200 posts)littlewolf
(3,813 posts)Gregorian
(23,867 posts)I saved the life of a crow last year. And he now has a wife, and they spend time nearby. There's a real story of how he hung out with me during this last year. It was wonderful. We talked, and joked together.
locks
(2,012 posts)Thank you. Most of the turtle rescue and protection groups are focused on sea turtles which are at risk but there are also local and national groups working for land turtles.
Beringia
(4,314 posts)Thanks for helping the turtle
SalviaBlue
(2,910 posts)Thanks for sharing.
wryter2000
(46,016 posts)johnp3907
(3,723 posts)Hubert Flottz
(37,726 posts)I'm glad it's a 15MPH road. Our turtles don't have much to worry about here, besides pollution. I've even heard the bullfrogs out back in the river again.
nolabear
(41,915 posts)Rex
(65,616 posts)You have no idea how much that means to me.
onlyadream
(2,159 posts)I hope more are like you.
We have boxers around here, so you can pick them up - but hold them at arms length because they're apt to pee on you.
postulater
(5,075 posts)Good job.
When in a similar situation, I've used a jacket to have the snapper grab onto to pull it off the road.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)The thing was a local legend for over 50 years before they dredged the lake and it was captured.
a la izquierda
(11,784 posts)Thanks for caring for creatures large and small.
AikidoSoul
(2,150 posts)Can't count the number. Been going on for years.
And then there are the deer that have their fawns every spring under the raised house pilings. We fill fresh water in the little fountain for them, and for the squirrels and birds. In many ways the deer run our lives. We don't do anything that might frighten them so we sometimes wait a long time before we go outside. Some of them come within just a few feet of us. We bow to each other.
I love animals more than people.
alarimer
(16,245 posts)It's good to know not everyone does that.
wtmusic
(39,166 posts)They can sit at the bottom of a pond for an hour without breathing, waiting for an unlucky fish to swim by. Then they float up, get a breath, and do it all over again.
Nice work
suffragette
(12,232 posts)My sister and I had decided to go catch a ferry to an island near here. We were on the way and on a busy road when we saw a poodle in the street, dodging cars. My sister stopped the car, I hopped out and waved at cars to stop and got to the poodle and scooped him up. He was an elderly dog and was trembling in fear. Luckily, he had a collar, so we called his owner, who was very happy we had found his dog. We waited for the owner to drive to us and when he arrived, he was elderly as well. It was beautiful to see these old friends reunited.
Tanelorn
(359 posts)B Calm
(28,762 posts)H2O Man
(73,333 posts)In this situation, two factors came into play: [a] it was large & heavy; and I am old and feeble. (I had my back broken in an auto wreck, and have broken 3 bones in my right shoulder, plus two ribs, since. Hence, I'm not able to lift something that heavy & carry it at arm's length any more.)
Ednahilda
(195 posts)certified wildlife rehabilitator in the area. I've picked up many a turtle and small mammal in my car and driven them to her for loving care. I don't know what we'd do around here if she hadn't taken up shop nearby.
DainBramaged
(39,191 posts)great story, the species will live on.