Re: [vernalpool] diamondback terrapin

Thanks John....I think your judgement call was fine. As a turtle freak and
rehabber, I try and teach others about not moving Box, Wood & Spotted
turtles from their home territories. It takes one Box turtle 30+ years
of life to reproduce itself just one time. Many are taken as pets, habitat
fragmation claims more lives with collisions with cars and building
machinary. Those that are left in the wild don't reach breeding age until
about ten. They have trouble finding mates as turtles get rarer and when
they do they have such small clutches of eggs that are mostly eaten by
raccoons, skunks, etc. few make it to adulthood. Each life is precious.

Carry on with the good work everyone! With so much passion in our
group....we can make a difference.

Carol

> Thanks for the info. Carol. I realize that but I had to make a judgment
> call. The direction he was heading toward is a small, fragmented woodland
> and I fear he would have been in harm's way again before too long. I
> should have made it clear that I put him back into the County Park (albeit
> much deeper in the park) that he had emerged from to cross the road; it
> wasn't a distant county park that was totally unfamiliar to the turtle.
>
> John Turner
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Carol Linguanti
> Date: Wednesday, June 27, 2012 7:04 am
> Subject: Re: [vernalpool] diamondback terrapin
> To: vernalpool@yahoogroups.com
>
>>
>> Just be careful *moving* terrestrial turtles to new locations.
>> They have a internal homing device and will try and get back to
>> their own territory. They have large territories that they roam
>> during the spring and summer and then in the fall head back to
>> their hibernation location. For the most part it is best to
>> just cross them in the direction they are traveling.
>>
>>
>> On Jun 26, 2012, at 9:52 PM, redknot@optonline.net wrote:
>>
>> > Mike: Kudos to you for caring enough to stop. I recently did
>> the same thing for a male box turtle on a busy highway.
>> Fortunately he wasn't hit and is now safely residing in the
>> middle of a large county park here on Long Island.
>> >
>> > John Turner
>> >
>> > ----- Original Message -----
>> > From: Treeswallow5@aol.com
>> > Date: Tuesday, June 26, 2012 8:55 pm
>> > Subject: Re: [vernalpool] diamondback terrapin
>> > To: vernalpool@yahoogroups.com
>> >
>> > >
>> > > Thanks alot....haven't met a turtle I don't like or won't
>> stop
>> > > for!!!!!
>> > > Mike
>> > >
>> > > Mike Maurer
>> > > Marion, MA
>> > >
>> > > "The time to save a species is while it is still common"
>> Rosalie
>> > > Edge, Founder of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > -----Original Message-----
>> > > From: PHILLIP BONN
>> > > To: vernalpool
>> > > Sent: Tue, Jun 26, 2012 8:48 pm
>> > > Subject: RE: [vernalpool] diamondback terrapin
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > Great job!
>> > >
>> > > From: vernalpool@yahoogroups.com
>> > > [mailto:vernalpool@yahoogroups.com] On
>> > > Behalf Of Treeswallow5@aol.com
>> > > Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2012 8:46 PM
>> > > To: Bio-mass@yahoogroups.com; vernalpool@yahoogroups.com
>> > > Subject: [vernalpool] diamondback terrapin
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > Today around 2 PM on the Wareham/Marion town line, as I was
>> > > crossing the
>> > > Weweantic River, I saw a diamondback terrapin trying to
>> cross
>> > > the four
>> > > lanes.....I pulled a Jason Statham "Transporter" -type U-
>> turn
>> > > immediatelyand went back, parked in the middle lane with
>> > > flashers going (it really
>> > > wasn't that dramatic, as no cars were coming yet) and
>> snatched
>> > > her up. But
>> > > as I carried her back to the car, her head was tucked in,
>> blood
>> > > drippeddown, and the back legs dangled.
>> > >
>> > > Damn!! One car too late!!...
>> > >
>> > > I place her on the mat under my feet and sped off to the
>> home of
>> > > a couple of
>> > > turtle experts who just happen to live in Marion. Susan
>> Weiber
>> > > Nourse and
>> > > Don Lewis... They have been monitoring and researching these
>> > > terrapins in
>> > > Southeastern MA for 20 years or more. Also volunteering out
>> on
>> > > the Cape at
>> > > Wellfleet Bay.
>> > >
>> > > My immediate thoughts were that if she was going to die, at
>> > > least maybe they
>> > > could save some eggs (why else would she be on land?) and
>> also
>> > > see if she
>> > > was one their marked individuals.
>> > >
>> > > I arrived at the their home...ran to the door....explained
>> the
>> > > situation (I
>> > > had already brought another dead female there last year from
>> the same
>> > > spot!)...we went back to the car and as I was handing her
>> over
>> > > to Susan, she
>> > > emitted an egg!!! Susan asked me to check the car, and I
>> found
>> > > another egg
>> > > on the mat!!!! As we examined her and discussed the
>> possibility
>> > > of her
>> > > surviving these injuries, she deposited two more eggs in
>> Susan's
>> > > hand!!!!Holy Crap!!!!
>> > >
>> > > As of now (8:00 PM) I do not know her fate, but hopefully at
>> > > least four of
>> > > her offspring will stand a chance of making it.
>> > >
>> > > Wow...what a day
>> > >
>> > > Mike
>> > >
>> > > Mike Maurer
>> > > Marion, MA
>> > >
>> > > "The time to save a species is while it is still common"
>> Rosalie Edge,
>> > > Founder of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary
>> > >
>> > > Today around 2 PM on the Wareham/Marion town line, as I was
>> > > crossing the
>> > > Weweantic River, I saw a diamondback terrapin trying to
>> cross
>> > > the four
>> > > lanes.....I pulled a Jason Statham "Transporter" -type U-
>> turn
>> > > immediatelyand went back, parked in the middle lane with
>> > > flashers going (it really
>> > > wasn't that dramatic, as no cars were coming yet) and
>> snatched
>> > > her up. But
>> > > as I carried her back to the car, her head was tucked in,
>> blood
>> > > drippeddown, and the back legs dangled.
>> > >
>> > > Damn!! One car too late!!...
>> > >
>> > > I place her on the mat under my feet and sped off to the
>> home of
>> > > a couple of
>> > > turtle experts who just happen to live in Marion. Susan
>> Weiber
>> > > Nourse and
>> > > Don Lewis... They have been monitoring and researching these
>> > > terrapins in
>> > > Southeastern MA for 20 years or more. Also volunteering out
>> on
>> > > the Cape at
>> > > Wellfleet Bay.
>> > >
>> > > My immediate thoughts were that if she was going to die, at
>> > > least maybe they
>> > > could save some eggs (why else would she be on land?) and
>> also
>> > > see if she
>> > > was one their marked individuals.
>> > >
>> > > I arrived at the their home...ran to the door....explained
>> the
>> > > situation (I
>> > > had already brought another dead female there last year from
>> the same
>> > > spot!)...we went back to the car and as I was handing her
>> over
>> > > to Susan, she
>> > > emitted an egg!!! Susan asked me to check the car, and I
>> found
>> > > another egg
>> > > on the mat!!!! As we examined her and discussed the
>> possibility
>> > > of her
>> > > surviving these injuries, she deposited two more eggs in
>> Susan's
>> > > hand!!!!Holy Crap!!!!
>> > >
>> > > As of now (8:00 PM) I do not know her fate, but hopefully at
>> > > least four of
>> > > her offspring will stand a chance of making it.
>> > >
>> > > Wow...what a day
>> > >
>> > > Mike
>> > >
>> > > Mike Maurer
>> > > Marion, MA
>> > >
>> > > "The time to save a species is while it is still common"
>> Rosalie Edge,
>> > > Founder of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary
>> > >
>> > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>> > >
>> > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > >
>> > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>> > >
>> > >
>> >
>> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------
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