... if the idea of being the 'rescue squad' for turtles has any merit, but I did stop 3 (three!) times when I was driving yesterday to help them get across the road. I always have some degree of anxiety when I slam on brakes, pull over and back up. Or inching along in reverse, while looking in the rear view mirror, hoping other vehicles will make the effort to avoid the slow moving amphibians. I am so oddly delighted at the idea of turtles making a come-back, becoming populous to the point that they are evident everywhere. As their little pea sized brains urge them into risky behavior of tediously crossing busy highways in order to find spouses.
Twice while I was driving south, I pulled over, and backed up to get to the place where the small shelled creatures were creeping across the asphalt. The third rescue involved easing on down to a place where I could safely make a U turn to go back and assist the turtle across the lanes, into the tall grass along the edge of the highway. All three of them had mossy stuff growing on their shells, making them appear very ancient, and were all about the same size: I could barely cover with one hand, so had to use both to pick up for relocating. I will always wonder if they immediately turn around and start inching towards the pavement I was so diligent to help them get across. If their heads are as hard as the houses they transport, I can just imagine how they think: 'I can do it myself', and slowly creeping back onto the road to provide passersby with another opportunity to smash them at 70 m.p.h.
In an effort to get myself back in motion, and head on down the road, I failed to take a photo as proof of the first of the three rescues. By the time I saw the second one, the process became so amusing, I felt the need to document my diligent rescues. I will not return home on the same path, as I really don't want to know if any or all of them came to an untimely end. Hopefully they were all headed home for a big satisfying meal their spouses had prepared for them to enjoy, rather than being the menu for carnivorous vagrants looking tasty tidbits.
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