Saved a turtle today :D

[WombleHerp]

was driving to my boyfriends house and this fellow was crossing the road right in front of me!! Silly thing stopped right in the middle of the road too! I didnt want it run over because this road is generally pretty busy and I do see some roadkill on it from time to time, people dont pay attention to the speed limit and I could only imagine what could have happened if it wasnt me who came across the turtle at that exact time!!

So I did some very quick thinking (LOL!) Stopped the car in the middle of the road as theres no-where to stop over on the side! Grabbed the turtle, put him on the floor of the passenger side and drove to Sams house. He only lives 2mins down the road so its not all that bad, plus i wanted photos

Took him inside, showed the family and was happy i took him off the road, took some photos then Sam and I went back down the road and walked into the bush to the little stream/pond that runs there, (really nice habitat for a turtle, good water, plenty of basking spots and food there for it etc.) Basically where the turt would have been living before its treacherous journey across the black tar!

Yes so thats the story, here are the photos :lol:
OH and excuse the messy hair... I was half awake and wasn't out to impress anyone lol so its prettymuch my bed hair :lol::shock:

 

[killerb]

i know u were trying to do the right thing but I think it is illegal to touch wild reptiles
so maybe not a good idea to post on web

 

[craig.a.c]

Dam big turtle. Good job for getting it off the road before someone decided to run over it. How far from where you found it did you release it?

 

[Bearded_Lady]

Yeah that turtle is massive! Probably has a few years behind it. Good on you for rescuing it off the road. One lucky turtle! Last time I stopped to rescue a turtle it thanked me by covering my hands in this foul smelling mucous muck.

 

[Frozenmouse]

thats awesome its huge well done for rescuing it alot of people will say its illegal to interfere with a reptile but i think removing an animal from the road is pretty nobel .
Its rather large for an eastern longneck .
could be an expansa maybe?
someone a bit more turtle savy may be able to id it.

 

[WombleHerp]

Yeah I dont think that its an eastern longneck, this one was alot darker, had darker eyes and under its shell was darker too then the regular white/cream of the eastern.
I made sure it was released as close to where it was found as possible, the stream thing runs all the way along the road and is pretty deep so if he didnt want to be in a particular spot he could just swim a couple of metres

It was big, which made it heavy too, after a while my hands started to become 'numb' from holding him haha damn pins and needles... I should have sexed it damn why didnt i sex it.. I made sure we took photos so I could ID it after release I just haven't done it yet haha..
I'm pretty sure you guys could do that for me whilst im at work anyway lol

Nat

 

[diamondgal79]

Good job Nat! nice big turtle that one.
I moved one off the road on the weekend and then just up the road about100mtrs was 2 squished ones (

 

[nicman72]

Hey, great work Nat! Saving ANY life, reptile or not, is a far greater thing than following a senseless, beaurocratic law. I would've (and have) done the same thing myself. I would hope that EVERYONE on this site would save a reptile's life, given the opportunity??? I would even wear a stupid fine if I had to, still knowing in my heart I'd done the right thing.

Hope the turt aint hurt

Nic

 

[Lewy]

i know u were trying to do the right thing but I think it is illegal to touch wild reptiles
so maybe not a good idea to post on web

Why is there always some one that says this Who gives a ship If it illegal when you have just saved it from being killed on the road

It looks just like this one http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/general-herps-42/saved-turtle-from-road-today-120957 I got of the road a few weeks ago and good on you

Broad-shelled River Turtle

 

[WombleHerp]

i know u were trying to do the right thing but I think it is illegal to touch wild reptiles
so maybe not a good idea to post on web

I may have blonde hair however I'm not an idiot. If I cared about that law I would not have posted.. Thanks

 

[amy5189]

agreed herpsrule!!! i think its a ridiculous law. maybe they could concentrate more on prosecuting people who are abusing animals etc? just a thought. i definitely wouldn't hesitate to save any sort of animal from harms way.

 

[ravan]

hehe love the 2nd pic, its so cute!

 

[melgalea]

big size turtle too

 

[melgalea]

i know u were trying to do the right thing but I think it is illegal to touch wild reptiles
so maybe not a good idea to post on web

i think there are more things in life to worry about dont you

 

[killerb]

I would have done the same thing by persuading it of the road as u would with a snake
I would not took it home and photographed
Say what u want but if you love animals you would not stress it unnecessarily
I only said that cos a friend of mine got an infraction for posting something very similar

 

[Jakee]

It looks to be a decent sized broad-shelled turtle.
It's good that you removed him/her off the road otherwise he/she could of become R.K
Nice pictures.

Jake

 

[killerb]

I never said that saving the turtle was a bad thing

 

[Southside Morelia]

Good on you sweetheart...well done!
Don't worry about the anal retentive doogooders that think they know all. You did the right thing! lol
Nice hair!!!!!

 

[markars]

every one says it is illegal to remove wildlife from a road. It is "technically" illegal to do so. It is basically "technically" illegal to do everything if you apply the letter of the law to any particular activity.

Is anyone aware of anyone ever being prosecuted for this activity? I cannot find one prosecution example anywhere. Most people caught keeping wild reptiles are not even prosecuted as far as i can tell. The costs of prosecution are to much to worry about the paltry sentences and fines dished out by the courts.
Not being a ranger or a decc employee, but someone who knows some, I think that unless you assist the reptile from the road to the boot of your car to your home breeding program, just removing it from harms way would not even be looked at.

 

[gavinator]

i know u were trying to do the right thing but I think it is illegal to touch wild reptiles
so maybe not a good idea to post on web

Well then, Im a Repeat Offender and always will be,