Roads are a vital piece of infrastructure.
They are necessary for transportation, whether it be personal travel, the shipment of goods, or other reasons. They connect communities, often forming dense networks anywhere large numbers of people can be found. As such, it is a bit of a shame that they are something of a nightmare when it comes to conservation work – especially when it comes to animals that are slow to rebound from population declines like turtles.
Roadkill is a serious threat to turtles. Over the past few years, the Canadian Wildlife Federation turtle team has documented more than 1,800 dead turtles on roads in eastern Ontario. That is a staggering amount of roadkill which is likely not sustainable. A majority of the dead turtles we found were Painted Turtles, but we also found many Snapping Turtles and Blanding’s Turtles. Given that all freshwater turtles in Canada are species at risk, roadkill is another reason turtles are declining.
Watch the road – for turtles!
To see how to safely move a Snapping Turtle off the road, check out our video on how to move a turtle off the road.
We can all do our part by watching for turtles on roads, particularly when we are driving in rural areas close to lakes and wetlands. First of all, if you see a turtle trying to cross the road, make sure it is safe to help. If the traffic isn’t too heavy and it is safe to do so, pull off onto the road shoulder and turn on the car’s four-way flashers. Look both ways before heading onto the road to save the turtle. If there are cars coming, don’t risk your life.
With the exception of Snapping Turtles it is fairly easy to pick up most turtles. Use both hands and grab the turtle on either side of the shell. The turtle may not appreciate or understand that it is being rescued from the road and may scratch or pee on you, so be prepared for this. If you have a firm grip on the turtle with both hands you are less likely to drop it if it does scratch you. It’s a good idea to keep a pair of work gloves in the car to protect your hands when moving turtles, and for other roadside adventures.
Always move the turtle in the direction that it is heading. Turtles know where they want to go. Release the turtle on the shoulder of the road and it will quickly shuffle away from you and the road. Take a bow, as you just saved a turtle and are now a turtle hero.
Moving Snapping Turtles, especially large ones, is more challenging. Snapping Turtles can be fast and they will bite. They can also spin around quickly or even lunge. Do not grab the sides of the shell of a Snapping Turtle as the head may whip around and bite you.
One option to move a Snapping Turtle is the car mat drag. Place a car mat behind the turtle, grab the back of the shell near the back legs and drag the turtle onto the mat. Do not drag the turtle by its tail as this can injure the turtle. Once the turtle is on the mat, drag the mat off the road, keeping one hand on the back of the turtle.
Another technique for moving a Snapping Turtle is the shovel lift. If you have a shovel in the car, approach the turtle from behind and slide the shovel under it. Then lift and move the Snapping Turtle off the road. Don’t lift the shovel too far above the road as the turtle may try to move and fall off the shovel.
Learn more about how the Canadian Wildlife Federation is helping our at-risk freshwater turtles.
David Seburn
David Seburn is the Freshwater Turtle Specialist with the Canadian Wildlife Federation. David has worked on amphibian and reptile conservation for more than 20 years. He has radio-tracked turtles through swamps and spoken to hundreds of people about turtle conservation. In 2020, he was presented with the Blue Racer Award from the Canadian Herpetological Society for significant contribution to the conservation of Canadian amphibians and reptiles.
