Local Motorists Asked to Lookout for Turtles

DuPage County Forest Preserve officials are asking motorists to be on the lookout for turtles on area roadways this time of year.

Officials are also asking motorists to help the slow-moving reptiles get across the road safely. In late spring and early summer, female turtles head to their nesting sites to lay their eggs, which forces them across some area roads.

“Turtles focus on one thing this time of year: getting to their nesting sites, roads or no roads,” said Kevin Luby, a naturalist at the Forest Preserve District’s Willowbrook Wildlife Center, in a DuPage County Forest Preserve press release. “Car horns and flashing lights don’t faze them, so it’s up to drivers to be aware and try to avoid hitting these animals.”

The DuPage County Forest Preserve offers the following advice for helping a turtle make it safely across the road:

• Motorists should slow down and put on their flashers to alert other drivers. For a small turtle, a driver may be able to position the car so the turtle can pass safely below.
• If it’s possible to safely assist, a person can carry a turtle across a road by picking it up with both hands, one on either side of its body.
• People should never lift a turtle by the tail, which can damage its spinal cord, and should never pick up a snapping or spiny softshell turtle, which can bite.
• They should carry the turtle across the road in the direction it was headed and let it be on its way. If they turn the turtle around or take it to another location, it will simply resume its original journey.

“It’s important for us to be good stewards and do our part to help these animals,” said Forest Preserve District of DuPage County President Joe Cantore.

Forest preserve officials caution that motorists should never put themselves or others in danger by stopping abruptly on a busy road, according to the news release.

Already this year, several turtles have been injured on area roadways. Anyone who finds an injured turtle can consult Willowbrook Wildlife Center.

“Willowbrook has already admitted several turtles that have been struck by cars, and though our animal care staff may be able to treat cracked shells or minor injuries, many turtles never recover from the trauma,” Luby said. “It’s up to all of us on the roads to do what we can to make sure these fascinating animals can move around safely.”

Located at 525 S. Park Blvd. in Glen Ellyn, Willowbrook Wildlife Center cares for injured native species and strives to return them to the wild. Employees and volunteers are available to answer questions daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 630-942-6200. After hours, an automated system provides information.