Turtles on the move

World Turtle Day is Saturday.

The American Tortoise Rescue, a turtle and tortoise rescue organization founded in 1990 in Malibu, Calif., initiated world Turtle Day in 2000. The group brings attention to turtle conservation issues and highlights ways each of us can help protect these gentle but jeopardized animals.

What to do if you find a turtle that is healthy:

Leave it alone if it is not in immediate danger. It is not a good idea to take turtles home because they need specific sun exposure and nutrition. It's difficult to recreate their natural habitat, and their beaks naturally file down in the wild.

To observe a turtle, only bring it home for a couple of days and then set it free.

What do to if you find a turtle that is injured or sick:

Call the Outer Banks Wildlife Shelter in Newport at 252-240-1200. They will assess the situation. Many times the turtles do not need to come to the shelter.

If the turtle does need medical attention, put it in a box. Keep the box nice and quiet by shutting the lid and placing a towel over it for the trip to the shelter. The Outer Banks Wildlife Shelter will give rescuers a case number so they can call to check on the turtle. When it's ready to go back into the wild, the rescuer can help release it.

For more information from the Outer Banks Wildlife Shelter, visit owlsonline.org.

Somewhere in Onslow County right now, there's probably a turtle accepting the death-defying challenge of crossing a road.

Why now? They are emerging from winter hibernation in search of food, a good home and mating opportunities.

When turtles hit the asphalt, however, they often find trouble. "I have seen quite a few run over," said Sgt. Jorge Brewer of the North Carolina Highway Patrol.

The problem, of course, is speed — specifically, the lack thereof.

Meredith Owens, an aquarist at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, said a turtle's speed depends on the species. "Some are better built to be on land than others," she said.

Turtles typically seen crossing roads in our region are fresh water turtles such as yellow belly sliders, mud turtles, eastern river cooters, box turtles, snapping turtles and musk turtles. Occasionally, diamond back terrapins are spotted, particularly near the coast where they live in marshes and brackish water.

If the turtle kept moving straight across a two-lane road, it probably could make it in a minute or two.

But they hesitate.

"It's a scary environment for them, and they have a tendency to curl up in their shells and stop moving," Owens said.

Once it gets really hot outside, turtles also slow down a bit, taking more time to hang out and bask in the sun.

Motorists sometimes can't resist stopping to help. "If you are comfortable, pick up the turtle and carry it across the road in the direction it was heading," Owens said.

Turtles have a strong homing instinct and will continue to travel in the direction they already want to go.

Owens warned that turtles can bite and can carry bacteria. She advised washing your hands after touching a turtle.

Brewer said there is no way to calculate how many accidents occur from motorists trying to dodge wildlife, but the "first priority needs to be the safety of the (motorist) and surrounding traffic."

In the end, roads are no place for a turtle.

"The sad thing about turtles and reptiles is their metabolism is so slow it takes them a long time to die," said Dana Henderson, education supervisor for the Outer Banks Wildlife Shelter in Newport. "We actually got two (recently) that (were) horribly, horribly hit. So horrible we had to humanely euthanize them."

Henderson says turtles seen crushed on the side of the road often are not dead but slowly dying.

"I always encourage people to pull over and look to see if they are actually dead," she said.

If the turtle is still alive, call the Outer Banks Wildlife Shelter in Newport at 252-240-1200 for assistance.

Turtles that survive the trip can live a reasonably long life. The species in our region have an average lifespan of 30 years, Owens said.