Be careful Turtles Crossing Nature Canada
Learn about how you can help ensure turtle cross the road safely.
Do you see signs with a “Slow Down” sign with a turtle on it around where you work or live? Or maybe you see them on your way to the cottage. I’ve encountered a surprising amount of people in my life who have not seen these signs before moving to the area where I currently work.
These signs let you know that the road you’re driving on might run through a turtle habitat. Roads fragment most wetlands in Southern Ontario[1] and these are the preferred habitat of turtles. In the early summer, turtles look for mates and for territory to call their own[2]. Toward the end of summer, baby turtles have hatched and are usually travelling in small packs to find their new home.
It breaks my heart so see so many crushed turtles along these roads. We can easily prevent this and save turtles with a few small measures.
If you see an injured turtle, call a local Turtle Conservation organization or other local wildlife centre for further instructions. Try to keep a number in your phone of a local group if there’s an area you frequent with turtle road signs. If you are in Ontario, the Ontario Turtle Conservation Center is the best place to contact.
This information was provided to Nature Canada by the Ontario Turtle Conservation centre in Peterborough, Ontario. To date, as of May 31st 2018 there have been 225 individual turtles that have been brought into the centre. Of the 225, 164 have been admitted to the hospital after being hit by a car. See the table below for the breakdown of turtle species that have been brought into the centre.
Species
|
Up to 31 May 2018
|
Painted turtle
|
140
|
Snapping turtle
|
63
|
Blanding’s turtle
|
12
|
Map turtle
|
7
|
Wood turtle
|
3
|
Spotted turtle
|
0
|
Spiny softshell turtle
|
0
|
For those in and around the South East and Western Ontario, if you see a turtle that is in need of help, the centre recommends to contact them (705-741-5000) and, if possible, drive the turtle to the centre in Peterborough, Ontario. If the centre cannot find a ride for the turtle to our centre in Peterborough, they will link up with one of their First Response Centres, who have been trained by our veterinarian to provide immediate care, fluids, and stabilization of fractures to injured turtles.
Hello nature life wilderness is the world’s envy. It’s our duty to keep our true north strong and green.
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