Dear Herp Friends - when you look at the photo, notice the distance that the turtles are off to the side of the shoulder of the road - these are not 'accidents'. Respects, Wes
WHIG-STANDARD (Kington, Ontario) 13 June 05 'Jerks' and busy roads threaten to wipe out turtles: Westbrook should have turtle crossing signs, says Sandy Meech, wildlife protector (Dawn Cuthbertson)
Photo at URL - *GRAPHIC*: Wendy Workman, on the bridge across the creek on County Road 2 east of Westbrook, says many turtles have been hit by cars while crossing the road to lay their eggs (Ian MacAlpine)
Wendy Workman has been taking her two dogs, Dusty and Bekki, to Lemoine Point three times a week ever since they were puppies.
An animal lover, Workman, who lives in Wilton, said she used to enjoy driving her canines to the conservation area for some fresh air and exercise.
That is, until two weeks ago.
Workman, 43, says her peaceful jaunts have been ruined since she started making grisly discoveries along Princess Street between Kingston and Westbrook.
"There are dead turtles there every day," Workman said, at least six in recent weeks.
She suspects people are running over them intentionally.
"I'm really concerned about them because they're everywhere. I don't want people purposely running them over."
The turtles leave the marsh - in some areas just metres away from the heavily travelled highway - to find a suitable place to build a nest, Workman said.
"This is the time of year when snapping turtles lay their eggs," she said. "They're coming out onto the road and getting hit."
Turtles are attracted to roadways because they like to bury their white, ping pong-ball sized eggs in sand on the shoulders. Nesting in Ontario usually starts in late May and lasts well into July.
A single nest can house between 20 to 40 eggs. Hatchlings emerge and make their way back to the marsh sometime in late August or September.
"A lot of them get killed, too," Workman said.
Her last turtle encounter was Friday, when she spotted one lying in the middle of Princess Street.
"I thought it was dead but it was just sitting on the road sunning itself," she said.
"I stopped the traffic and edged it off the side of the road with my foot because I didn't want to get bit."
Worried that the turtle would wander back onto the highway as soon as she drove off, Workman said, against her better judgement, she then picked up the turtle by its back end and put it down in the swamp.
Four dead turtles were spotted on the edge of the highway yesterday afternoon.
Sue Meech of Sandy Pines Wildlife Sanctuary in Napanee said she's nursed six injured snapping turtles so far this season.
All of them suffered massive damage to their shells, which encompasses their spine and ribs. Four of them managed to recover and Meech released them back into the wild. Two had to be euthanised.
"They can't scream and cry like we do when we're in pain, people don't understand that," Meech said.
"Maybe if they did, they would treat turtles a little bit more humanely."
Turtles with cracked or damaged shells can develop life-threatening infections if they aren't treated, Meech said.
"Disease and bugs can get in there," she said. "They'll die."
Like humans, turtles can suffer broken bones and concussions after being involved in a collision, Meech said.
"I transferred one to a veterinary hospital in Peterborough because it had a fractured jaw," she said.
Meech has cared for injured turtles from as far away as Cobourg and Brighton.
Turtles tend to lay their eggs in the same general area year after year, she said.
"It's tradition. If they are born in that area, they are going to go back to that area. Unfortunately people have put houses, roads, parking lots and all kinds of things in their way."
While the majority of vehicle-turtle collisions are genuine accidents, some motorists hit them intentionally, Meech believes.
"There are some jerks out there," she said.
"If you walked a mile in my shoes one day, you'd be horrified. We're in danger of losing this species because of these roads."
Workman, who's studying humane education at the University of Toronto, said motorists should be on the lookout for adult turtles and hatchlings when passing through that stretch of highway.
"They play a part in the ecological system as much as we do so they need to be left alone," she said.
"Try to avoid them. It's possible."
Workman said she'd like to see "turtle crossing" signs posted on Princess Street near the marsh to remind motorists.
Chris Sleeth, a traffic supervisor for the City of Kingston, said that while there are several deer crossing signs posted along the highway, there are no "turtle crossing" signs there - or anywhere - in the city.
"The first thing we would do is talk to other municipalities to see what their criteria is to install them," Sleeth said Saturday.
Turtle crossing signs can be found in Napanee, Meech said.
"That Westbrook area is a place that should have a sign," she said.
