Turtle Hit By Car On Road Has Fractured Jaw: 'Slow Down!'

JAMESPORT, NY — Once again, a turtle was hit on the road on the East End, this time, suffering a fractured jaw.

The common snapping turtle also suffered a gash on his carapace, said Karen Testa, executive director of the Turtle Rescue of the Hamptons, based in Jamesport. The turtle was hit on an Orient road in July and is still recovering after having been in critical condition, she said.

"Please watch for wildlife while driving," Testa said. "Turtles suffer horrific injuries during the short time they are awake from hibernation."

That period of time, she said, lasts from April through October. Turtle Rescue of the Hamptons, she said, takes in more than 190 injured turtles per season.

The most common injuries turtles experience include dog bites, being crushed by cars, boat propeller injuries, chemical poisonings, balloon/buoy entanglement, entrapment in window wells and crab traps.

Crab traps, Testa said, now have a escape door just for turtles and TROH can get them for individuals for free. "So please throw away your outdated traps," she said.

Turtles, she added, cannot run away from danger like most wildlife can, which makes them the most vulnerable to injury. Spring and fall are the most common times that turtles are active; spring is nesting season and during the fall, turtles need to find a safe place to spend the next six months hibernating underground.

In addition, she said, early mornings and late afternoons are the times when they are most frequently moving.

"Unfortunately, that is when there is the most traffic on our roads," Testa said.

Turtles are all protected by New York State and 12 out of 18 species are either threatened or endangered, she said.

The odds aren't good: An average of only one out of 1,000 hatchlings will make it to adulthood and can live up to 70 years.

"Turtles are in trouble around the world," Testa said. "They are the most highly endangered group of organisms. Let’s do our part to save them; they have been on our earth for 220 million years. If you find an injured turtle , please don’t leave it —it won’t be there when you return — and call us ASAP."

A turtle's survival rate increases dramatically the sooner they get help, she said. "No matter how small an injury, we will help to assure survival."

In addition, Testa advised never to release a pet turtle into the wild. A person who finds a turtle should always call to confirm its species so an aquatic turtle isn't placed in the wrong location, "which can mean life or death," she said.

The turtle wasn't the first to meet a tragic fate on East End roads recently: In June, a mama turtle died after being hit by a car while trying to lay her eggs in Orient State Park.

The stories serves as a cautionary tale for the many who drive too quickly without taking time to watch out for the living creatures on the roadways, said Testa.

The turtles' pain is a reminder to motorists and boaters, Testa said. "People have to slow down and be more aware of their surroundings. They are selfish and worry about racing around, enjoying themselves — with no regard for others that we share the earth with. We see such suffering and habitat destruction — and it's all due to humans."

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

Testa said the time is now to start looking out for the diapsids on busy roads.

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 — 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 million years ago."

To that end, turtles are often struck by cars on the road. In an average 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. 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 Turtle Rescue of the Hamptons' 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. Tax deductible donations are welcome; Turtle Rescue of the Hamptons is not government funded and is a 501c(3) non-profit organization.