Helping Turtles Cross the Road
From April to September turtles are on the move! You can make a huge impact by being on the lookout for turtles crossing the road during these pivotal months. Helping a turtle cross the road can truly be the difference between life or death for that individual.
Please read through the information below on how to safely help a turtle cross the road, and remember to always prioritize your own safety first.
This resource does not cover snapping turtles, which require special handling techniques. To get information on how to help snapping turtles in particular,read this article on How to Help Snapping Turtles Cross the Road.
Important Points:
- 1. Always place them directly across the street in the direction they were headed.
- 2. NEVER relocate. Turtles are very tied to their local environments, and moving them drastically reduces their chances of survival.
- 3. Snapping turtles have long claws that can scratch the skin. It is important to keep low to the ground, so you don't end up hurting them if you lose your grip.
- 4. NEVER pick up by the tail! This will damage their backbone.
Handling Tips
How to hold most turtles (not a snapping turtle)
Aside from snapping turtles, all native turtle species in New Hampshire can be picked up in the middle of the shell, as shown in the photo. However, if you are unsure of the species, default to handling the back of the shell. The instructional video below shows an example of how to pick up a turtle along the back margins of the carapace (top shell).
When picked up, many turtles will retract into their shell, while others will flail and try to get away. Unlike snapping turtles, other native species do not have long reach with their necks, so as long as your hand is not in front of their mouth, you should not get bitten. They do however have surprisingly strong pushing power, and can scratch the skin, so please always stay low to the ground in case you lose your grip, so that you do not end up hurting them.
Place them on the other side of the road in the direction they were headed, and your work is complete. You just saved that turtle!
How to hold most turtles (not a snapping turtle)
Please never disclose any specific location information (no more specific than the town they were found), especially on social media, as turtles are under major threat of poaching worldwide and sharing locations of our native turtles puts a target on their backs.
The one exception to this isNew Hampshire Fish & Game (NHFG). NHFG has a reporting program called RAARP (Reptile and Amphibian Reporting Program) which you can submit sightings of turtles to. This helps NHFG's biologists track populations and distributions of our native turtles, which is very important for conservation. You can submit sightings (with photo(s) and the location found) to RAARP via email atRAARP at wildlife.nh.gov, or fill out the PDF form providedhere.
To learn how to help snapping turtles, which require special instructions,read this article on How to Help Snapping Turtles Cross the Road.
Find an injured turtle?
Your personal safety is paramount. When safe, get the turtle out of harm's way and follow these steps:
- 1) Contain the turtle in a box
A cardboard box works great because you can close it up to reduce stress and there will still be airflow, and you can break it down and discard after use.
- 2) Save the location!
The most important piece of information we need is the location. The more specific the details are, the better for the turtle, to assure we get them back home. Turtles are incredibly tied to their local environments and always need to return home; relocation drastically reduces their chance of survival.
- 3) Find a wildlife rehabilitator
If you are in New Hampshire, text or call us at(603) 417-4944. If you are outside of New Hampshire, please search for a local wildlife rehabilitator in your area.