turtle crossing the road -

A turtle was stranded in the middle of a busy highway a couple of weeks ago, looking about as though wondering, 'How did I get here?'

It was so small, and the cars and truck were so big. I don't know at what speed this turtle could travel, but the vehicles were flying by at 65 or 70 miles per hour. Turtles have these very sturdy shells that, across the thousands of years, have kept them safe from most predators. The shells make up for the fact that they don't move fast enough to outrun a fox or an owl. When trouble arrives, they tuck their heads and feet into the shell, and are about as vulnerable and unmoving as a stone. The predator leaves, and the turtle's head and feet peek out, and he or she goes on about their business.

The turtle's design comes long before the invention of trucks and highways - even the sturdy shell has little chance when up against a vehicle in motion. Cars may be the biggest threat to turtles. So when I see a turtle in the road, if there is some way I can pull over and carry it the rest of the way across, I do.

On this particular day, it was challenging. By the time I parked and walked back, the turtle was in a center turn lane, head, feet and tail no longer visible. A minute or two passed before there was a break in the traffic. I walked into the middle of the road, picked up the turtle and briskly walked back.

Part of the shell near the turtle's tail was badly crushed. Water and a bit of blood drained from the shell as I carried the turtle but I could feel it was alive. Because the damage was a relatively small area, I think it's likely that it could heal.

There was no creek bed or safe natural area apparent near where I found the turle. The wildlife rescue center I called could offer no help. So I found a quiet spot in a park in town with a bit of pond and some tall, woodsy trees, a half acre that smelled like wilderness of the past.

I've thought about the turtle once or twice since I left it. Maybe a kid took him home for a pet. Maybe the turtle found another turtle or two living nearby. Maybe the turtle will thrive and grow and still be in that bit of woods four hundred years from now.