Posted by:
joshua
at Wed Jul 2 10:32:35 2003 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by joshua ]
I love it!!
A real good issue for discussion...
see the fact is here that there is not enough research done on the species to have a "scientific formula" to determine if a particular turtle is safer moved off the road.. or moved into a home....
you can argue either side... keeping or relaseing but the fact is there's not enough efforts being made to determine the best way to know what is really bst for the turtle.
With all the research I've done (and this makes me no where near an expert on this)... and all the studies I've read and places I've found turtles.... here's what I think....
If there are woods where you foudn the turtle... as in a sizeable chunk.. bigger than a football field (or two)... the turtle is generally safe... even if it's a catch basin for water surrounded by smaller area of woods... as long as there is a wooded area dense enough to retain moisure in the heat of the summer the turtles will be OK.. If you dig 2-3 inches and find moist soil (not wet.. just moist) then it's OK... another good sign is leaves.... if there's a leaf litter floor to the woods... it's safe...
the only exceptiosn would be the proximity to outside dangers... developments (not houses... but developments), busy roads... if 2-3 cars pass in the 5 minutes you're with the turtle you find.. golf courses (because of pecticides for the greens), or other outside dangers... for each danger I'd double the size needed to deem the area "safe"... And if it's a busy highway with more than 1 lane in each direction... check to see how easy it is to get on the highway... this is a huge concern...
one other thing to keep in mind... box turtles avoid steep slopes... a road on the side of a mountain is not a suitable place for a turtle...
And the last note... Studies have show that moving a turtle as little as 800 yards (8 footbal fields) will almost certainly ruin any change it has of ever finding it's home again.... Moving a turtle 1 block is a death wish... moving a turtle a mile should be a crime.
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RE: promoting the removal of all turtles we see on the road? - joshua, Wed Jul 2 10:32:35 2003