General Discussion
Showing Original Post only (View all)Yesterday [View all]
My daughter and I were leaving the parking lot of a grocery store, when I noticed an enormous snapping turtle attempting to cross the street. It is a "busy" street, with a 30 mph zone, but as there is a straight stretch at the edge of the town, many drivers speed. I pulled over to the side, determined to assist the turtle,
From late May to mid-June, I carry a coal shovel in the back of my vehicle, as turtles are out and about seeking prime territory to lay their eggs. While I do not use the shovel for the smaller types of turtles, decades of familiarity with snapping turtles has convinced me that a coal shovel works best. However, a couple of weeks ago, I had taken the shovel out.
The gentleman behind me also saw the turtle, and recognizing what I was attempting to do, he stopped his vehicle in the middle of the street, and put on his emergency flashers. Soon, traffic was lined up for some distance both ways. It was nice that no one seemed impatient, or beeped their horns, etc. This made me as happy as the sight of dead turtles along a road makes me unhappy.
All I had in the vehicle was a short section of rope. I would not advise attempting to use rope for snapping turtle crossings. Instead, I used my self, a tool that is not much quicker than the average turtle. In doing so, I noted this creature's head was about as huge as any that I've seen (so large a head, we might be related).
After getting it across, traffic resumed. People then beeped their horns, waved, etc. I then watched this turtle go down a mildly steep bank, and crawl into a small stream.
There is a lot wrong in this world. Our society has so many serious problems, that it can seem overwhelming at times. Our culture feels like it is spinning faster and faster, out of control. It's important, I think, to take the time to stop in situations like the one I found myself in yesterday.