Today CaraDMc came across a dinner plate sized Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) on her run with Trooper. She couldn’t do much with the dog in-hand and didn’t want to leave the turtle at risk in the middle of the street so she gave me a quick call to come and help.
The turtle appeared to be in good health and with the aid of a neighbor’s snow shovel I was able to walk it back to the retention pond that was likely her (guessing here based on the size and aggressiveness or lack thereof) home. I knew enough about the animals to know to not pick them up or get fingers or toes near their powerful jaws. The folks over at the NCSU Turtle Rescue Team have more info on their site on what to do with Snapping Turtles and other turtles on their site.
The Common Snapping Turtle is common all over the state of North Carolina. So finding one anywhere near a water source is possible – even in the urban jungle. It is not a good idea to move or relocate them if they aren’t being a nuisance and appear to be in good health. Just get them out of harms way and let them go. This one appeared to be lost and needed a little help finding home. When we got near the retention pond I got to see a surprising amount of speed as she ran into the water.
