LILYDALE & YARRA VALLEY LEADER (Australia) 09 December 13 Healesville Sanctuary urging drivers to watch for turtles after treating animals hit by cars (Harrison Tippet)

Healesville Sanctuary urged drivers to be careful over summer while freshwater turtles were active during breeding season, a period when they regularly cross roads in search of nesting­ sites.

Healesville Sanctuary director­ Glen Holland said the sanctuary's Australian Wildlife Health Centre had treated 25 turtles hit by cars since the start of the breeding season.

Seven turtles are currently being treated.

"Spring and early summer is the traditional start of the breeding season for two of our common freshwater turtle species," Mr Holland said.

"They have begun to move about, making them particularly vulnerable to being hit by cars."

Mr Holland said the centre "glued" the turtles' shells together after they were ran over, using body cement, hooks and surgical wire.

Many turtles were given feeding tubes as a bypass to their stomachs while they healed. "The centre sees more than 1500 orphaned, injured and sick native wildlife every year," Mr Holland said.

Species treated most often by the centre, in order, are birds (mainly kookaburras), kangaroos, wombats, turtles and blue-tongue lizards.

Mr Holland urged drivers who come across turtles to move them to the side of the road they were heading for.

Drivers who find an injured wild animal are asked to call RACV Wildlife Connect on 13 11 11.
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