Snapper hatchlings in trouble, I NEED ADVICE, PLEASE!! URGENT

[IBeenEasy]

GUYS I NEED ADVICE LIKE YESTERDAY. SO I WAS JUST OUT ON MY LUNCH BREAK, SMOKING MY CANCER STICKS, AND CHECKED THE TURTLE NESTS JUST AS I DO EVERY DAY, DIDNT SEEM THAT THEY HAD HATCHED YET, SO I GO TO THROW MY CIGARETTE OUT IN THE SEWER, AND I SEE A WHOLE BUNCH LOAD OF HATCH LING SNAPPERS IN THE SEWER!!! MY BOSS SEEMS TO THINK THEY WENT IN THERE FROM THE STREAM, AND CAN FIND A WAY OUT, BUT I JUST DONT KNOW, THERES TRASH IN THERE, AND I JUST WONT BE ABLE TO SLEEP KNOWING I LEFT ALL OF THOSE BABY TURTLES IN A SEWER, I TRIED TO PULL THE SEWER CAP OFF BUT IT WONT BUDGE WITH JUST MY HANDS, DOES ANY ONE HAVE ANY ADVICE? SHOULD I LEAVE THEM THERE? SHOULD I CALL THE FIRE DEPT? SHOULD I BUY A CROW BAR AND TRY TO LIFT THE CAP MY SELF, ANY ADVICE WOULD BE HELPFUL, I JUST DONT KNOW TO REMOVE THE CAP, I DONT EVEN KNOW IF IT IS REMOVABLE, ITS ONE OF THE SQUARE SEWER CAPS , WITH ALL OF THE SMALL SQUARE HOLES, PLEASE ANY ADVICE WOULD HELP

 

[IBeenEasy]

 

[christinaland128]

Yes call the Police Dept they should be able to direct you to someone who can help. Poor things! I would be upset too.

 

[Abdulla6169]

Call the authorities ASAP, they will do the job.

 

[mikeh]

Its not a sewer cap, its a rain water drain grid. Sewer drain caps are solid and pipes lead to sewer treatment plant.
The rain water collector usually drains directly to water collection ponds, streams and rivers. If there is water collection pond or stream near by, chances are they will make it there thru the drain assuming they head in right direction. Given the nest location there should be water near by where the mother came from.

The grid is couple hundred pounds, hard to remove. Calling fire dept can't hurt, they may be nice and make an adventure out of it. If nothing else I would at least pour good amount of water in the drain. It will keep the hatchlings moist and perhaps flow of water guide them to make it thru the drain to larger body of water.

PS: cigarette butts are not to be thrown in rain water drains. They will end up in streams, rivers and ponds, the very same water the turtles you are trying to save live.

 

[Yvonne G]

You can call animal control. It's their job to rescue animals in distress.

(Nicotine is a deadly poison when ingested)

 

[ascott]

I am not going to lecture you on the smoking....there are so many other things that are active in our environment that are a gazillion times worse....if they are within reach....and you can get them all....sure, help them on their way...but problem is, where is it that they came from and where is it that they are going to....some will die in route for sure...but if you have the answer to these questions,....I would give em a hand.

 

[IBeenEasy]

Its not a sewer cap, its a rain water drain grid. Sewer drain caps are solid and pipes lead to sewer treatment plant.
The rain water collector usually drains directly to water collection ponds, streams and rivers. If there is water collection pond or stream near by, chances are they will make it there thru the drain assuming they head in right direction. Given the nest location there should be water near by where the mother came from.

The grid is couple hundred pounds, hard to remove. Calling fire dept can't hurt, they may be nice and make an adventure out of it. If nothing else I would at least pour good amount of water in the drain. It will keep the hatchlings moist and perhaps flow of water guide them to make it thru the drain to larger body of water.

PS: cigarette butts are not to be thrown in rain water drains. They will end up in streams, rivers and ponds, the very same water the turtles you are trying to save live.

so basically, i can not help them, i cant reach them , there about 5 feet under the cap, and the property owner does not want me to touch the cap, or call someone to touch the cap. and i am in no way educated on sewers or water drains guys, so please know that i would never purposely put cigarettes into the water, this drain is just a ses pool of trash, and ive always thought this was a waste drain seeing it is filled with ... waste... so i never thought twice about throwing them in there, which i wont do again, but long story short, im very sad , i will have to let the turtles find their own way out , thanks for the advice though guys, you did help, as i didnt even know this was a rain water drain, but this one is out of my hands guys. i wish something could be done.

 

[Yvonne G]

When it rains where does that water go? The babies will be flushed out eventually into a ponding basin or wherever. If the drain is a utility company's bailiwick, then you should call the utility company and see if they'll come help out. The property owner has no say-so in this matter.

 

[Jacqui]

Who cares if the property owner does not want you to call anybody? You should call somebody and see if somebody with a big heart will help... or call the local news, that normally guilts folks into action.

 

[mikeh]

Pour few buckets of water in it if its dry.

 

[IBeenEasy]

When it rains where does that water go? The babies will be flushed out eventually into a ponding basin or wherever. If the drain is a utility company's bailiwick, then you should call the utility company and see if they'll come help out. The property owner has no say-so in this matter.

i guess when it rains the water goes there, one of the other members said what i described is a rain water drain, and my bosses think they went in there and can find ways out, i just dont know though, i figured if there was ways in and out then there wouldnt be such a large collection of trash below the drain, but like i said i have no idea about drains or any of that stuff, and i guess i can calll animal control, but i personally can not do any thing to that drain, i work here, so trouble with the property owner is no good, believe me guys i dont want to look into a drain and see turtles while im on lunch, thats all ive thought about since yesterday, i even got to work 30 mins early to check and see if they made it threw the night

 

[IBeenEasy]

Pour few buckets of water in it if its dry.

theres prob about a foot or more of water in there, but its just gross, there using a piece of trash as there basking spot to get out of the water

 

[Grady1968]

Can I see a picture of them

 

[IBeenEasy]

When it rains where does that water go? The babies will be flushed out eventually into a ponding basin or wherever. If the drain is a utility company's bailiwick, then you should call the utility company and see if they'll come help out. The property owner has no say-so in this matter.

and the thing is , there not in just one sewer, there in every sewer on the property!!! seeing that yesterday made me check all of them, and theres at least 2 or 3 under each sewer cap

 

[IBeenEasy]

Can I see a picture of them

my camera on my phone is not good enough to catch them on photo, there way to small, and there about 5 feet deep in a dark sewer hole

 

[IBeenEasy]

my camera on my phone is not good enough to catch them on photo, there way to small, and there about 5 feet deep in a dark sewer hole

there about half the size of the snapper hatchling im holding in my display photo, there tiny

 

[Grady1968]

Ok

 

[ascott]

Can you prop something up that leads from the confined space to the outside world? Like a piece of wood that they could climb up and out on? A tree branch and such? Problem with that then may be --they will be scampering out in the open????? Cars, cats, overhead birds and such? Sticky situation for sure....perhaps a covert night rescue is the answer ()

 

[Jabuticaba]

You might need a crowbar and a lot of muscle. Good luck and let us know what happens.


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