The Roadside Rescue

Off to an early start this morning so I could spend the day at home.

~Part of the gang this evening~ 

As I was rounding the last corner for home, I saw a turtle on the side of the road.  It was on its back in the full sun and was looking pretty toasted.  I thought it was probably dead, but since it's my habit to always stop for turtles, that was what I did. It was just a young snapping turtle about the size of my hand.  Its neck was stretched out and to the side and his little claws were all curled in and motionless. Of course I couldn't help but feel a little sad and sorry for the poor thing.

~Our road yesterday afternoon~

I'll admit that I'm a little wary of snapping turtles, so I nudged him with my foot to make sure he was dead, and he didn't move. Feeling confident that he couldn't hurt me, I decided that I should at least get him off the road, and when I picked him up, I noticed his little claw move, like a weak wave for help -- He was alive!!  I took him over to the nearby pond and with an empty soda-cup from my van, I splashed him with water, all the while telling him that I thought he was going to be alright. All four of his legs started to slowly move and eventually he moved his head, pulling it back inside his shell.  I closely checked his shell and it was completely intact, with no cracks or chips, he was just fine. I figured he must have wandered out of the pond and onto the road and had probably got knocked over on his back by a car and couldn't get flipped back over again. After several minutes, we said our good-byes by the edge of the pond, but not before I wished him good luck and warned him to stay off the road. I'm glad I was able to save the little turtles life, but I'm especially glad that he didn't bite the hand that fed saved him!