Not her day to die

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Meg90

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A friend of mine plays baseball out on a diamond in the country. I don't know ALL the details of how/why they do this, but snapping turtles are common there.

He says that when they catch the snapper the first time, they spray paint an X on the shell to identify it.

The next time they catch it, they kill it.

So David calls me today and says that he caught a snapper with an X on it, and that if I didn't want to come out and pick it up, he was gonna chop her head off.

I had previously told him that if he finds any snappers, or other turtles or snakes or anything else that he doesn't want around, to give me a call. I told him I would relocate whatever he had.

So of course, I put my plate of hot food (right after I made dinner and sat down he called) and Reid and I hopped in the car to go and pick her up.

We brought her to a different river about 20 miles away that doesn't connect to her old territory, so I am hoping she will be fine. She was pretty traumatized by the whole event. Spent several hours in a cardboard box...musked more than once, which lets me know that she was really afraid. She was prolly 14-15 inches SCL and about 12-13 inches in diameter so a large turtle able of defending herself in other manners. Poor girl.

When I tipped the box by the rivers edge, she just sat there. I probably could have reached in and picked her up barehanded, for all the fight she had left in her.

Once in the water she paddled around the shallows for about five minutes, submerging her head, but staying on the surface. And then, she was gone. We stayed watching until we couldn't spot her anymore.

I will post pics once I get home. We stopped at Reid's parents for steak. :) So I get my hot dinner after all! :)


I would have traded in the entire day's meals to save her though. She must have been atleast a decade old. Death would have been a sad, and undeserved prize for beating the odds and surviving to get to the size she had.


I just wish people (especially my friends) had more respect for these wild reptiles. But I suppose its a start that they even called me at all, and didn't just kill her on the spot.

Stay tuned for pictures.
 

bettinge

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Good for you! Hope the snapper does not try to find its way back!
 
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Maggie Cummings

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You're wonderful for doing that. And it was a really nice story in the telling of it. I'll be looking for the photos...
 

spring pace

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good story, happy ending and everything, little drama in between, and the heroine is still a heroine (thats you ;o)
 

Gulf Coast

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Yay... WTG Meg.. Such a great feeling.. Maybe you could post some sign's with your info on it asking them not to kill anymore turtles and to give you a call, even before they mark them with the first X.... Maybe your friend will tell another then another and so on.. :)
 

Meg90

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This is her looking worn out in the box. Poor girl.
nigelsbreakfastandthesnapper031.jpg


A closeup. All that fire is gone from her eyes, that snapper spirit...Its almost like she knew she was going to be killed.
nigelsbreakfastandthesnapper030.jpg


Here's after I tipped the box next to the water's edge. You can see that is says "Meg" on the side. It read: Meg's snapping turtle. Don't TOUCH!
I like this picture. All the green in it is nice. Hopeful.
nigelsbreakfastandthesnapper032.jpg


In the water. It seemed like she was a bit shocked to go back.
nigelsbreakfastandthesnapper033.jpg


Here she is paddling around. I expected her to shoot off like painteds do (I've saved some off the road) but she just padded by the shore line until she was good and ready!
nigelsbreakfastandthesnapper034.jpg


And then she was gone. I was already a little attached to her! Almost cried! :) I hope she lives a longer life now.

Oh, and I am spreading the word about snappers. When I make signs, I will have David put them up.
 

dmmj

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can I ask who kills them? the state or just people who paint X's on them, If it is not the state are they allowed to just kill them for being a nuisance?
 

Stazz

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Aww Meg, good krama will come your way my friend, big Kudos to you for saving that lovely turtles life !!! It SICKENS me how people can be so cruel....
I was watching an animal rescue program last night, and there was a very sick fur seal on the beach, and the authorities took him to be checked out, and he lived healthy and happier ever after, but then my friends dad piped up "I don't think they should mess with nature, if the seal was meant to die, it must die, they must leave it alone"....I went BALLISTIC ! The freaking audacity....grrrrr. I believe that if you spot a sick animal anywhere, whether its a pet or not, you should call the proper people, cos I could never ever live with the fact that I walked away from a sick animal. This man gave me nightmares. Sicko. So anyway,hehe, well done again to you Meg !!!
 

Traveller

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Good job!
You should be really proud of yourself!
I wonder why your friend feels the turtles have to be killed?
After all the snappers were there before them.
Always makes me angry that humans feel so superior over
animals and take it as a right to destroy animal habitats,
just so they can build a home, golf course, shopping mall etc..
Sorry for the rant.
 

Isa

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O Meg, I wish more people would be like you, you are a really good person!!! It is amazing what you did, you saved HER LIFE! Why people do that, why can't people see that those poor reptiles have feelings and that they have the same rights as us to leave on this planet!. But I am really glad that your friend called you, it is a start.
Seeing the look in her eyes on the first and second picture breaks my heart, she looks so tired, so sad and so scared at the same time.
I love the last picture, it is an amazing pic, you gave her her freedom back.
Thanks for sharing.
 

Nay

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I am just curious, do they return to some spots to mate/lay eggs? I would hope not to have those guys see her again. Yes I agree with all of the above, great job Meg and the folks that would think to do this are sick. We are stealing their homes!!!
Na
 

Itort

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Snapping turtles are game animals in Wisconsin and as such you must have a fishing or hunting license on your person to harvest (collect and kill). There is a 3 turtle limit and the turtles must be between 16" and !8" in length. Killing the animal just to kill it is considered wanton waste of natural resources (I believe they are the type that give true sportsman a blackeye). They are breaking the law. I would alert the DNR about their "sport" and perhaps this would sink into the thick brains of these "sportsman". Sorry for the rant but I'm seeing these guys (snappers) beginning to recover from the DDT problem and seeing snappers like I did as a youngster.
 

Shelly

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It's great the Snapper was saved, but a shame it had to be removed from its ecosystem.
 

Gulf Coast

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Itort said:
Snapping turtles are game animals in Wisconsin and as such you must have a fishing or hunting license on your person to harvest (collect and kill). There is a 3 turtle limit and the turtles must be between 16" and !8" in length. Killing the animal just to kill it is considered wanton waste of natural resources (I believe they are the type that give true sportsman a blackeye). They are breaking the law. I would alert the DNR about their "sport" and perhaps this would sink into the thick brains of these "sportsman". Sorry for the rant but I'm seeing these guys (snappers) beginning to recover from the DDT problem and seeing snappers like I did as a youngster.


Thanks for the info Itort!!! That is really good to know.. Nay thats a great question about her returning to lay/breed... Also in that one thread I thought it was Danny (maybe I'm wrong) about not moving a turtle because they will forever try to find their way back home.. And may even die from all the energy they spend trying to get back home.. Either it was energy or not eating.. Umm okay now I'm not sure about which thread that info was in..

I totally understand where you coming from Meg, and the same as you I wouldn't want her to come back into contact with these guys again.. Ewww and yuck snappers scare the heck out of me and I wouldn't want to see her die.. Are we talking about Adults playing ball? or is it children and the parents dont want their kids to get bitten? not that, that makes it right, I'm trying to understand this a little better..

Edit** Found the thread... It was Maggie :) not Danny that posted the info in this link (sorry about the mix up) :) .. http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-6632.html And thats what I have went by after reading that thread..

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa re home?? or not??? Even if you knew they might come back in contact with killers??

Maybe DNR has a number you can call and they will take the snappers?? But then they will just release them else where.. Its like a duel edge sword.... :(
 

Meg90

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See, with water turtles, you can relocate. Boxies are the ones with territories that will try to get home.

I did not know that about the game animal thing.

I am going to talk to David and just tell him that I did some reading, and that its SUPER illegal to mark, or kill a snapper in WI. I am happy that I could save her, but it pisses me off to think of the ones that I missed.

I hate that humanity feels like it owns whatever it comes across. The whole drive out I was ranting about how just because she HAPPENED to be in the same area he was, she deserved to die. Wasn't harming anyone....

Snappers, Snakes, and all the other creatures that people don't think have any rights, have the right to EXIST. Its something I feel strongly about.
 

Gulf Coast

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Ahhhhhhhh I c, Guess that makes sense!!! I mean what are the odds of finding a water turtle in the middle of the road.... Thank you Meg for clearing that up for me.. :)
 

terryo

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Meg..this is a wonderful thing you are doing. You should get a state fish and wildlife license. It only costs $10 (here in New York). There is so much building going on everywhere you look, that these poor animals are loosing their space. I feel strongly about these things as you do. The reason I got this license was so no one could bother me because I have my boxies, and also if I see any that need help I can collect and release when appropriate. Good luck to you with helping these wonderful animals. They were here first!!
 
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