CHRONICLE HERALD (Nova Scotia) 05 July 07 Underneath this Halifax cop’s shell is a soft spot for wildlife - Officer rushes injured, expectant turtle to safety after it was run over by a car (Josh Visser)
A Halifax motorcycle cop was looking for speeders Tuesday afternoon on Purcells Cove Road when he noticed a car swerve, then another, then another.
"At first I thought someone was secretly trying on their seatbelt to avoid getting a ticket," said Sgt. Mike Spearns of Halifax Regional Police. But after seeing the second and third car swerve in the same area, the officer decided to investigate.
Little did he know that he would be the first responder in the dramatic rescue of a pregnant mother, a rescue that would extend over two days and involve three hospitals.
Arriving at the scene, Sgt. Spearns found an injured wood turtle, its shell cracked after having been struck by a vehicle.
Needing a car to take the animal to a veterinarian, Sgt. Spearns immediately called for backup and began performing first aid.
"I got a little water for it, as it appeared stunned, but it certainly was trying to move, so I kept it in place with my feet," he said.
Sgt. Spearns named the turtle Dunlop, figuring that was the brand of tire that hit the female turtle.
Const. Marcus Reeves arrived in a police cruiser and rushed Dunlop to the Spryfield Animal Hospital.
"He put (Dunlop) in a nice box in an air-conditioned car," Sgt. Spearns said of his colleague.
After a short stay in Spryfield, Dunlop was sent to the Metro Animal Emergency Clinic overnight Tuesday and was moved to the Dartmouth Veterinary Hospital for surgery Wednesday.
An hour before the surgery Wednesday afternoon, Dr. Ian McKay at the Dartmouth Veterinary Hospital said that Dunlop had fractures on the top and underside of her shell.
He described a complicated-sounding procedure in which the vet would apply fibreglass mesh and fibreglass epoxy and possibly some stainless steel wire to "pull the fracture line together."
Adding to the tension was the discovery that Dunlop is pregnant, so to speak, with 11 eggs to lay.
Wood turtles, which are a "vulnerable" species in Canada, normally lay their eggs in late June or early July.
After a nearly 90-minute surgery, Dr. McKay left the operating table, able to call the procedure a success.
"The surgery went beautifully," Aundrea Smith of the Dartmouth Veterinary Hospital said on behalf of Dr. McKay early Wednesday evening.
The next step for Dunlop was to move in with Hope Swinimer, the director of Hope for Wildlife, a rehabilitation centre for wildlife in Seaforth.
Ms. Swinimer said Dunlop appeared in fine spirits and that the turtle would have a habitat built for her at the centre.
She added that Dr. McKay would be checking the turtle out today to see if antibiotics were needed to help Dunlop with her eggs, which she is expected to lay any time now.
It’s been quite the trip for the little turtle that tried to cross the road, but it wouldn’t have gotten far without the compassion of Sgt. Spearns.
The sergeant took a moment to think philosophically about what he accomplished Tuesday.
"Normally the police are out there after the hare, not the tortoise," he said. "I’m glad I was there because the poor thing would have been squished if we hadn’t been able to get it off the road."
Underneath this Halifax cop’s shell is a soft spot for wildlife