How did the turtle cross the road?

Sadly, he didn’t.

The adult snapping turtle was trying to cross an Ontario road when he got hit by a car. A good Samaritan found him and took him into Peterborough’s Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre, the only veterinary hospital and rescue centre in the province dedicated to caring for injured native-species turtles and their eggs, and releasing them back to the wild.

Centre staff soon found evidence that this was at least the second time this turtle had been hit by a car. He was lucky enough to have survived the first collision on his own. But he also had old “propeller wounds” from an interaction with a boat and “he had a fish hook in his intestines,” said Dr. Sue Carstairs, medical director at the non-profit charitable centre.

This snapper was tough and survived his second collision with the help of staff, who were able to repair his shell and keep it clean while it healed. The turtle stayed a winter with the centre and was released the following spring, back in the area he came from.

May is when you start to see more turtles on the road, as the species mates, starts nesting and lays eggs in late spring through summer.

Unlike some wild creatures whose survival skills may be tainted by being too long in care, “turtles revert very quickly,” says Carstairs. The instincts of these prehistoric-looking creatures are strong. Even young turtle hatchlings who came out of their eggs at the centre know exactly what to do when they’re released.

“We had juvenile Blanding’s (a native species) we released who’d never seen mud before, and the first thing they did was bury themselves in the mud,” she says.

Most of the 210 injured adult turtles admitted to the centre in 2012 were found on roads after run-ins with cars. Most were female, because the females must search for a place to lay their eggs, which begin to hatch in August. Many of the females that were hit by cars were already producing eggs. The centre was able to incubate 1,000 eggs, and 450 of them hatched.

The centre is able to save more than two-thirds of the injured turtles brought in, and eventually release them.

Carstairs says that ideally, she’d like to keep all the hatchlings over the winter. But there isn’t space for them at the current 2,000-square-foot facility — one reason the Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre wants to relocate and is actively looking for a place. The hatchlings she can’t keep get released.

She’d also love to have outdoor acclimatization space for the turtles and to have an educational area open to the public. The centre already offers outreach programs, including speakers who can appear at events or make presentations about Ontario’s native turtle species, discuss issues such as safe boating practices, and explain what to do if you find an injured turtle.

Sometimes “Paddy” goes along. He’s a 29-year-old snapping turtle that had been kept as a pet, by owners who didn’t know keeping a native species in captivity is illegal.

Although it was a “heartbreaking” decision, once the family learned of the law, they decided to surrender Paddy to the KTTC.

Snappers can bite when they feel threatened on land — though they usually avoid people — but Paddy has a very mild disposition and never acts aggressively when he’s serving as “prime ambassador’’ at outreach events, Carstairs says.

“He never gets stressed . . . he’s the most endearing snapping turtle. When people are talking he’ll just turn his head and listen.”

Paddy lives permanently at the centre now, one of a handful of turtles that can’t be released to the wild for a number of reasons that would make their survival unlikely.

“I think people have a soft spot for turtles,” said Carstairs. They’re not cuddly, but “I think people see them as fascinating creatures. They don’t do any harm.”

They’re also a critical part of the ecosystem of Ontario’s waterways.

But between a loss of habitat and decimation on the roads, most of Ontario’s turtles aren’t doing well. The snapping turtle is a “special concern species” on Ontario’s endangered species list — although, perversely, the province still allows snappers to be hunted for their meat.

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Also at risk, of special concern, or endangered are the Blanding’s turtle, Eastern musk turtle (stinkpots), northern map turtle, spiny softshell turtle (pancake), spotted turtle and wood turtle. (Western painted turtles and Midland painted turtles are not considered at risk.)

Fewer than 1 per cent of turtles make it to breeding age. Most hatchlings get eaten, many never even making it out of the nest.

The KTTC, with the assistance of grants, is now doing some field work and tracking some juvenile Blanding’s turtles. It released 10 Blanding’s last year and has 40 this year that have been outfitted with tiny, 4-gram radio transmitters to track where they go.

If lucky enough to survive to adulthood, turtles have shown themselves to be quite resilient. Carstairs says she’s amazed how many recover from bad injuries.

Most brought into the centre have cracks in their shells, which have many nerve endings. “Most people don’t know that it’s bone. It’s very painful” when a shell is cracked, even though it may be hard for an observer to tell, as turtles rarely make noise, says Carstairs. The centre uses cables, glue, clips, tape and other tools to hold a cracked shell together while the bone heals.

“Very seldom do they make a sound,” she says. “Sometimes, they’ll make a hissing sound. But in the wild, if you show weakness you get eaten. So they keep on going.”

One fascinating case a couple of years ago involved a 30-pound snapping turtle. He was a familiar sight to sailors at one of the Toronto harbour yacht clubs. Someone noticed the turtle was not moving much and brought him to KTTC, where he was diagnosed with a severe infection. He also had only one eye, and it had a cataract. Toronto veterinary ophthalmologist Dr. Joe Wolfer removed the cataract at no charge, and the turtle fully recovered. It was released into its old harbour haunts and Carstairs says there are still reported sightings of him.

So what do you do if you see turtles crossing the road? If it’s safe, pull over and help the turtle across — in the same direction it’s going, suggests Carstairs.

And heed posted signs of “turtle crossings” on roads in the province — but don’t steal them! Some apparently are going missing.

The centre gets funding from private donations and corporations and conservation groups. It’s vying with other charities, starting May 4, for voter-triggered funding from Shell Fuelling Change Competition.

Helping injured turtles

If you find an injured turtle, call the Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre at 705-741-5000. Staff can direct you to the nearest wildlife centre that may be able to help. In the GTA, that would be the Toronto Wildlife Centre. The centre also has a network of volunteers in the province — members of the “turtle taxi’’ squad — who may also be able to assist and take the turtle to the KTTC. Put the injured turtle in a ventilated container with a lid — but no water. Do not lift by the tail. You can slide a shovel or board gently underneath an injured turtle to lift it into a box. Be careful to keep a safe distance from the head of a snapping turtle, which may feel threatened.