Turtles With Cracked Shells On The Road Need Help — Here's How

JAMESPORT, NY — Why does a turtle cross the road? Because he — or she — doesn't realize it is a road, and the results can be catastrophic.

But, educators warn, just because a turtle's shell is cracked when he's lying broken on the road, doesn't mean he's dead.

The Turtle Rescue of the Hamptons has set out to educate the public on how to help turtles who may have been hit on the road. A new social media post, "I am not dead. Please help me get help ASAP," has been spreading, with many reaching out to share.

Karen Testa, executive director of Turtle Rescue of the Hamptons, said the time is now to start looking out for the diapsids on busy roads.

"We're getting to the season now," she said. Around May 1, turtles who have been in hibernation come out slowly and begin to sun themselves. Turtles, she said, are cold-blooded animals and cannot move unless they are at optimal temperature; unlike humans and all mammals, they cannot self-regulate their body temperatures and must receive heat from an exterior source. Without heat, their blood doesn't circulate and they can't digest, she said.

Turtles, Testa said, are mighty and majestic — they have survived 220 million years and have been on the earth since there were dinosaurs.

"They're amazing creatures," she said.

At the end of April, female turtles, both water and terrestrial, begin to look for nesting sites. "That's why they are roaming around, looking for the ideal spot. Sometimes it takes hours," she said.

Turtles feel with their back legs whether soil has drainage because they don't want the babies in the nest to drown, should there be rain, Testa said.

But despite their innate intelligence, turtles, she said, "are not smart enough to know that roads are there. They were here before the roads, so roads don't compute. There were no roads 220 billion years ago."

To that end, turtles are often struck by cars on the road. Last year, Testa said, about 180 turtles were brought to the Jamesport facility, with about 95 percent rehabilitated and set free. Some who are blind or have lost shells remain at the facility for their own safety, she said.

Often, Testa said, individuals might see turtles with cracked shells on the road and think they are dead— not true.

"They are always still alive," Testa said, adding that the goal is to get the turtles help and determine whether they can be saved — and to relieve terrible pain and suffering.

"The shell is like a skull, a broken bone that feels pain," she said. If a turtle is left to suffer on the road, it can take about four days for it to die, in horrific agony.

"They suffer in pain while flies eat them alive. Please don't turn your back on them," Testa said. "Call for help ASAP. Time is of the essence."

Testa urged anyone who finds a turtle to call the police, animal control, a local wildlife rescue — or, to slide the animal into a side tipped box and bring it to the nearest 24-hour emergency vet for free.

"Be prepared. Be careful. Call to see who treats reptiles, as not every vet does," she said. Turtles may need to be euthanized, or need pain medication.

And, she added, more often than not, the turtles can go on to be rehabilitated and set free — just like the turtle in the photo shown. Some heal so completely a crack is no longer seen. "You will have saved that life," she said.

To find wildlife rehabbers in the United States, click here.

If you find a turtle on the road, call the 24-hour hotline, 631-779-3737.

To donate to the Turtle Rescue of the Hamptons, visit their website or Facebook page or send to Turtle Rescue of the Hamptons, P.O. Box 5, Jamesport, NY 11947.