[Taltarzac725]

Helping Turtles Across the Road: Minnesota DNR

First you should get to a safe spot where you can get out of your car or golf cart!

OMG! There's a turtle in the road!

Gopher Tortoise: How You Can Help

[bluedivergirl]

I used to live in Minnesota, and have helped many a turtle across a road. If you help one, hold it away from your body, and be prepared. They WILL pee. Don't be surprised and drop them.

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by bluedivergirl

I used to live in Minnesota, and have helped many a turtle across a road. If you help one, hold it away from your body, and be prepared. They WILL pee. Don't be surprised and drop them.

I got this link from a lawyer in MN who frequently rescues animals on the roads up there and then takes them to vets if they need it.

Once in a while I will see a turtle in the road here in the Villages and most of these have been in places where there is no where to stop safely unfortunately.

[Arctic Fox]

We found one heading down the Morse tunnel under 466!

Lucky we spotted it as it is quite dark in there

Turned round in church car park and lifted it back on to the grass, pointing towards the pond!

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by Arctic Fox

We found one heading down the Morse tunnel under 466!

Lucky we spotted it as it is quite dark in there

Turned round in church car park and lifted it back on to the grass, pointing towards the pond!

Did it pee when you picked it up?

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by Arctic Fox

We found one heading down the Morse tunnel under 466!

Lucky we spotted it as it is quite dark in there

Turned round in church car park and lifted it back on to the grass, pointing towards the pond!

Thanks for doing that.

[Allegiance]

Originally Posted by Arctic Fox

We found one heading down the Morse tunnel under 466!

Lucky we spotted it as it is quite dark in there

Turned round in church car park and lifted it back on to the grass, pointing towards the pond!

Thanks for that, seems the turtle found its way home.

[Bonny]

We have stopped for many turtles. Thank goodness most people are really good and patient. Hubby just puts on his flashers and we quickly get the turtle out of the road.

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by Bonny

We have stopped for many turtles. Thank goodness most people are really good and patient. Hubby just puts on his flashers and we quickly get the turtle out of the road.

Two people might make it easier. First year here there was a gopher tortoise crossing the road just past the roundabout near Rainey Trail (CR 472) and this was during a heavy rain. I came close to hitting the poor thing in the rain storm in my Saturn at that time. CR 472 is where Promise Hospital is if you cannot place it. Promise Hospital of Florida at The Villages – Promise Hospital of Florida at The Villages They will show a map for it.

[Sandtrap328]

I have helped turtles in the road from box turtles to snapping turtles to big soft shell turtles. Always be careful of those jaws! They can easily take off a finger.

[bluedivergirl]

Originally Posted by Sandtrap328

I have helped turtles in the road from box turtles to snapping turtles to big soft shell turtles. Always be careful of those jaws! They can easily take off a finger.

Northern turtles have short necks. They can't bend around like the critters in these parts.

I'm a little intimidated by the turtles here.

[Arctic Fox]

Originally Posted by Taltarzac725

Did it pee when you picked it up?

I thought it had recently come out of the pond - but I could have been wrong :-)

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by Arctic Fox

I thought it had recently come out of the pond - but I could have been wrong :-)

Thanks for that explanation.

[rubicon]

i almost ran down a driver who stopped her vehicle suddenly on 466 to carry a turtle to safety.

she is most fortunate she was not carried away

Safety experts will tell you rather than making sudden movements while driving to avoid an animal it is safer to hit the animal because too many people have been killed or badly injured when trying to avoid an animal.

Sounds logical to me and I believe a relief for a family that would have otherwise lamented he should have hit the darn deer and stayed alive

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by rubicon

i almost ran down a driver who stopped her vehicle suddenly on 466 to carry a turtle to safety.

she is most fortunate she was not carried away

Safety experts will tell you rather than making sudden movements while driving to avoid an animal it is safer to hit the animal because too many people have been killed or badly injured when trying to avoid an animal.

Sounds logical to me and I believe a relief for a family that would have otherwise lamented he should have hit the darn deer and stayed alive

Deers are usually moving a whole lot faster than turtles.

A funny story. My then maybe 90 year old great grandmother Trueblood (cool name isn't that) in Apache Junction, AZ used to insist that she drive rather than my father because she knew where all the cows were in the desert. No. She was not senile but there way no way anyone could have kept track of the cows in the deserts around Phoenix.

I had to watch out for the cows in Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado too. Open range - Wikipedia