Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Found in NW Massachusetts along a bike trail,
http://community.webshots.com/album/76679087vJiZfw
Thanks
Wood Turtle?

Nice to hear someone encountering one in the wild... I hope you left her where you found her as they are protected in Mass and most geographies they inhabit. A breeding female is most important to the species sustaining itself as it takes roughly 12-15 years for an NA Wood to mature. Not many make it to that age and their habitat is quickly dwindling...

Nice find.

Paul

Okay I found the N.A. wood turtle again on the side of the bike trail.. which is not the best spot for her, it's quite busy up there and I'd hate to see someone grab her, I've sent her back into the water (that she came out of) twice now, what should I do about her?
the town doesn't care about the wildlife around here, the bike trail I ride on got paved a yr ago and it's since become a grave yard of herps, and they call that environmental protection.. anyway
what should I do about the turtle if she's still there?
Thanks!

If you are absolutely positive that the same turtle keeps putting herself in the way of danger, and you are also absolutely sure that she will become roadkill in the near future, I do not believe that it would be out-of-line for you to move her to a more rural spot where her chances of survival would be far better.

This should never been done, however, without some degree of research. You would need to find an area that has suitable habitat variation (fields, forest, waterways, etc.). In addition, you should be absolutely sure that there are other wood turtles in the area that she could mate with. The Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental whatever may have species location maps that you could find online, or you may speak with a local herpatologist who would have access to such information.

The moving of any species out of harms way should never be a flippant, uninformed decision, but if you are willing to make the commitment, it may just save the turtles' life and her reproductivity could help the species in your region.

I think tomorrow morning if I see her, I'll place her on the other side of the pond.. and if I see her again I'll look for a better suiting "home" for her
I dont think we have any herpitologists in the area, I mean there's Jeff Corwin but on the other side of the state..
Anyway... I'll let you know what happens
Thanks for the help

I would not recommend moving her to a different habitat farther than a mile from where she is. The dangers of spreading one pathogen that this population is immune to into another is very real (it's wiping out the gopher and desert tortoises). The loss of one turtle is surely better than the destruction of a large part of a population. Besides which, just about any location you can move her to will have some sort of human traffic nearby. At least a bike path is better than an interstate.

if you read some of the extensive research that is out there on Desert tortoises you will see that researchers really don't know how certain diseases got into the present populations. Some suspecte it was introduced and some believe that it was latent until certain conditions brought it out. The point is that the odds of you introducing a disease by moving an apparently healthy animal is no more a risk than you causing harm by disorienting the animal by moving it, moving it to a microhabitat that is not condusive to it's survival... and the list goes on.
I don't think one risk is any more real than another.
Ed

Once again this is a case of 'we know best'. That turtle survived to that size. On that note the chances of it surviving further are pretty good. Turtles/tortoises are quickly becoming quite fashionable or popular. The general public is becoming more and more aware of these little guys and they seem to be taking more care of them in the way that they now admire them and walk away. I'd suggest that you just let fate take it's course. By you getting involved you are adding a bunch more unnecessary unknowns including breaking the law which then brings risk down on you.
I found a couple of Desert tortoises crossing the road on a recent trip. It was outside any protected park (but they are protected by law) I was inclined to find a 'Safer place' for the tortoises such as moving them to the park but I've been faced with this decision before and will likely be faced with it again.
It has survived this long... but I did move it across the road in the direction it was going.
My vote is to leave it alone.
Ed