“It’s game on,” says Kelly Wallace of local conservation group Think Turtle Initiative.
According to Wallace, turtle nesting season is about to kick into high gear now that warmer weather has arrived.
“Because the nighttime temperatures are finally going to be double digits and consistently like that, and the turtles like to nest at night or in the morning, it means that both times will be warmer. It’s been so cold, they’ve basically stalled.”
“I feel very sorry for the poor girls,” added Wallace, referencing the cold spells we’ve had recently.
Wallace says to be on the lookout for turtles out on the roads, and if you find one, please stop — if safe to do so — and help it get across the road in the direction it was going.
If an injured turtle is found, please reach out to Think Turtle Initiative.
Turtle Taxi Drivers Wanted
Wallace adds that the organization is looking for people to join their “drive list.”
Anyone who might be travelling to Peterborough is asked to join the list to be checked in with, in case an injured turtle is looking for a drive to the nearest turtle hospital.
“If we know somebody’s going to Peterborough on Thursday and we happen to have an injured turtle that needs a drive, then we can get in touch, and all they have to do is just drop the turtle off at the turtle hospital, which is on Television Road. And basically they’re helping that turtle survive. And, if the turtle is carrying eggs, you’re helping, like, dozens of turtles.”
Wallace adds that even if the mother turtle doesn’t survive, eggs can still be extracted, incubated, and later returned to their natural habitat.
To learn more about how to help out or join the turtle hospital drive list, visit Think Turtle Initiative.
