Why Does A Turtle Cross The Road?

The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), as part of its Year of the Turtle awareness campaign with Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC), reminds residents to be on the lookout for turtles crossing roads.

The months of May and June are the nesting season for many turtles. At this time, egg-bearing, female aquatic turtles leave the water to find terrestrial nesting sites, and this often requires crossing a road.

“Helping a turtle move across the road can be the difference between life and death for the animal, and for future generations,” said Rick Jacobson, director of the DEP Wildlife Division. “Be sure to assist a turtle only when it is safe to stop, pull over to the shoulder, if you are driving, and move the turtle across the road. Do not attempt to stop traffic; your safety comes first.”

Snapping turtles can be large, heavy, and feisty, so if you are unable to “shoo” them across the road, pick them up by the back of their shells, not by their tail, to avoid a bite. Some people use a shovel or a stick to push or skid snapping turtles across the road.

Always keep the turtle pointed in the direction it is going. If you turn it around in the other direction, the turtle will only make another attempt to cross the road.