Hey! Give The Turtles A Brake, Huh?!

This time of year when I walk on the road in and out of camp, I notice all kinds of different signs of turtle activity. Sadly, a lot of the time, it's seeing where predators have dug up the turtle nests and made a feast of the eggs. Like any good nature show, you have to accept that nature takes its course, and it's simply a fact of life that animals do hunt other animals for food.

But...those sweet turtles, yes...even snappers, are often victims of a fate that is totally in our hands. Often on the roads around the lake where my camp is, it's not uncommon at all to see turtles crossing the road. And sadly, it's also not uncommon to see a dead turtle with it's shell broken. These aren't caused by malicious folks, just ones who may not have seen the poor bugger til it's too late. But if you do see one crossing the road, you can help!

From the All Of Maine Facebook page, there are tips for safely handling them, and helping them get across the road, and avoid becoming a tasty turtle scavenge for another predator. After all, it's quite likely a mother headed to or from the nest to care for her young bale. (Yeah, I looked it up. Bale is a group of turtles...the more you know...)

And turtles never harm anybody. Yes, ok, the snappers. But don't provoke them, and you probably won't get snapped! But check out the graphic in the post and get some basic instruction on handling the little crawlers.

And now, you can do your part! They are kind of weird creatures in general, but it's always nice to take care of animals that can't always 100% take care of themselves. So watch out for the snappers, the box turtles, or maybe the neighbor's escaped pet turtle. It's just the right thing to do.