Helping a Turtle 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.
Important Points:
- š¢ 1) Always place them directly across the street in the direction they were headed.
- š¢ 2) NEVER relocate. Turtles are very tied to their local environments, and moving them drastically reduces their chances of survival.
- š¢ 3) Keep low to the ground in case you lose your grip. They are surprisingly strong and can scratch the skin, and you don't want to end up dropping and hurting them.
- š¢ 4) NEVER pick up by the tail. This will damage their backbone.
Snapping Turtles:
Yasmin, a snapping turtle patient who has since been released, showcases how little protection the bottom shell (plastron) provides for snapping turtles.
Snapping turtles are defensive (NOT aggressive) out of water. Snapping turtles have a reduced plastron (bottom shell) and are not able to retract into their shell effectively like many other turtles can. You can see in this photo of Yasmin, the plastron (bottom shell) offers minimal protection to snapping turtles - there's lots of exposed tissue just hanging out there. This makes snapping turtles very vulnerable at a young age. Their 'snap' is the only thing keeping them alive!
Wildlife does not understand our intentions when we try to help them, and see us as a predator trying to do them harm. Therefore, it is best to assume all snapping turtles will 'snap' when approached - this is a healthy response to danger. This does not make them malicious, and in fact they are exceptionally calm once their initial fear dissipates, though you won't see that side in a quick turtle crossing interaction. Rehabbers often lovingly refer to them as 'swamp puppies' because they are such gentle giants. It is important to help snapping turtles cross the road because they are most commonly hit on purpose, due to people's fear of them.
How to hold a snapping turtle (screenshot of Toronto Zoo's awesome instructional video)
There are many methods to help snapping turtles cross the street, but in general always make sure to only handle the back 1/3 of the body. Snapping turtles have long necks and can reach the sides of their shell, so this is why we want to avoid this area.
Watch this informational video by the Toronto Zoo which goes through many ways to help a snapping turtle cross the road with minimal handling involved. The screenshot shows one method of picking up a snapping turtle, gripping the margins of the carapace (top shell). You can use this method to lift them onto a car mat or towel which you can then drag across the street, as shown in the video. This is a very effective method for large snapping turtles.
The images below show another method for holding large snapping turtles. Approaching from the back, slightly lift the plastron (bottom shell) so you can get your hand flat underneath the plastron. This is called the 'platter' hold because it is similar to holding a food platter. Your hand is safe and unreachable as long as it's on the plastron. This hand will support the weight of the snapper. Your other hand helps stabilize by gripping the back margins of the shell (as shown in the screenshot image above), or by holding the base of the tail. That being said, NEVER pick any animal up by the tail. The tail is connected to the spine, and holding them in this way can damage the spine and even paralyze or kill them.
This photo shows the "platter" hold, using the plastron (bottom shell) to support their weight.
One hand supports the plastron. The other hand holds either: a) the shell margins OR b) base of the tail (but NEVER pick them up by the tail, it will damage their spine!)
All Other Turtles:
How to hold most turtles (not a snapping turtle)
All other turtles can be held from the middle of the shell, behind the front legs, similar to holding a hamburger.
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 throwing them and 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!
If you would like to share your experience, check us on Facebook because we plan to run an annual Turtle Crossing contest which you can enter. 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.
Find an injured turtle?
Your personal safety is paramount. When safe, get the turtle out of harmās way and place in a dry box (or the Turtle Kit described below). Save the location - very important! Find a wildlife rehabilitator.
- š¢ 1) Container (plastic tote or cardboard box)
- š¢ 2) Towels (along the bottom and for hiding)
- š¢ 3) Bottled water for dampening the towel (NEVER transport in water)
- š¢ 4) Hand sanitizer for your hands