Double Turtle Rescue

I brake for turtles! I'm constantly scanning the roadways for signs of these little hobos, carrying their home on their back. Turtles generally don't need any human intervention or rescue. However, I always feel like I've saved a life when I help them reach the other side of the road. Last week, I had the opportunity to save two within a dozen miles of each other.

Shy box turtle

While traveling down rural HWY 7 from Little Sandy to West Liberty in Eastern Kentucky, I spotted this tiny box turtle in the road. I pulled over in front of an abandoned filling station and hopped out to rescue him. By the time I'd returned to my car, the owner had driven over to see what was going on. Turtle rescue, sir. Just trying to save the day. I dropped the little box turtle in the grass on the other side of the roadway & continued my drive.

The fine art of turtle spotting

To my great surprise, I spotted another turtle trying to cross HWY 7. This was several miles down the road, and thankfully had a generous shoulder to pull over and park. As I got closer to my mark, I realized it was a snapper. Ugh! Not to be deterred, it was small enough that I could flip it on it's back and carry it across. The drop off on the other side of the road was steep, so I walked him down to a lower lying area near a creek bed.

This snapping turtle looks like he just emerged from the bottom of a pond.

The smile on his face is all I need for thanks.