Turtles Crossing

This is a crucial time of year for freshwater turtles, but it’s a very dangerous time of year as well. Spring and summer, adult turtles are out and about, looking for mates and for nesting sites. Unfortunately their habitat has been fragmented by human development, which means they face many unnatural obstacles on their journey. One of the most perilous obstacles they face is roads.

In the next few paragraphs, I recount an experience I had that highlights the devastating impacts that wetland fragmentation can have on freshwater turtles. It was one of the most upsetting and emotionally taxing moments I have ever experienced, and the photos may be difficult for some to look at. Viewer discretion is advised.

On the drive home from a camping trip, my wife and I spotted a snapping turtle on the road, on the opposite side. We quickly turned around, pulled over to the shoulder, got out of the car and started making our way back up along the side of the road towards her, so that we could help her get to safety. She was facing the side of the road, so she had managed to make it ¾ of the way, so all we had to do was give her a little help making it the rest of the way. This was a fairly busy road, so we had to wait patiently for a break in traffic before we could step out and attempt to move the turtle. With every passing car, we flinched, fearing the worst. At least a dozen cars went by, and still no chance to get in, but at least she was in the middle of the lane, so the cars seemed unlikely to hit her as long as she kept her head down. All we had to do was have patience and hope there were no low-sitting cars. We were starting to feel optimistic about the situation. Then it happened.

I don’t know if maybe the driver saw the turtle and had the misguided reaction to try and swerve around her rather than just drive straight and let the wheels go by on either side. Maybe they were a bit close to the car in front and a little off centre and just didn’t even see the turtle. Or maybe - sadly this is more common than you might think - it was intentional. Whatever the reason, one car in the long line of cars finally ran her over. It was a direct hit with a wheel, crushing her and cracking her shell. Seconds later, before there was a break for us to get onto the road, she was hit again by another car - this time a pickup truck pulling a trailer. Her shell was completely crushed, she was flipped over, and sent spinning to the side of the road. Her insides were strewn about, and eggs were left scattered and broken on the road and on the shoulder around her.

At this point we were at a loss for what to do. Standing there in disbelief, I asked my wife “I guess, should I take some photos?” So, still in shock, I walked back to the car and got my camera. While my wife called the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre to see if there was anything they/we could do (we weren’t equipped to handle an injured turtle, so the only thing we could do was collect the small handful of eggs we could find that were still intact and get them to one of their rescue centre), I took some photos, hoping they might be able to send a powerful message and inspire others to take action to help turtles. I decided to focus on the eggs in most photos for a couple of reasons. For starters, it was simply very difficult to look at the turtle, but with the status of turtles in Ontario and Canada, every egg counts.

Turtle eggs have an extremely low hatch rate, due to predation, and of those few that hatch, very few survive into adulthood, so to lose an adult turtle can be a big loss to a population, because it can take decades to replace an adult turtle. Snapping turtles (along with all 7 of Canada’s other native freshwater turtles) is a species at risk, so this loss is even more significant than simply a tragic end for one individual turtle.

To end this blog on a bit of a positive note, there are thankfully many people and organizations dedicated to helping these vulnerable species persist. The last two summers, my day job with Ottawa Riverkeeper gave me the privilege of being tangentially involved in some turtle conservation projects, and the opportunity to capture some more positive turtle images. The Petrie Island Turtle Project (Friends of Petrie Island), in partnership with the Canadian Wildlife Federation, collected several hundred eggs from a popular turtle nesting site (Petrie Island) to be incubated and released back in the same location once they hatched. Though that is a small fraction of the eggs laid at that location, the project had a big impact. If left alone, only 5% of these eggs would survive long enough to hatch, but by collecting these eggs, they were protected from predators, increasing the hatch rate of this subset of eggs to between 80-90%. With roughly 400 eggs collected each summer, that’s around 350 more turtle babies getting the chance to rebuild the local population. Survival rate is still low for hatchlings, but with turtles, it’s all a numbers game, so every turtle counts!

There are groups across the country doing similar work to help Canadian turtle species recover and persist. So check out your local turtle group and consider supporting them in any way you can. At the very least, please watch for turtles on the road, especially from mid-spring to late summer. Turtles have it tough enough as it is without having to worry about traffic.