Woman's Turtle ER Heals Broken Shells: Video

JAMESPORT, NY — A local angel who dedicates her life to saving turtles who've been hit by cars on the road has been featured in a new video.

Karen Testa, executive director of Turtle Rescue of the Hamptons in Jamesport, was featured in "The Woman Running An Emergency Room For Broken Turtles," a YouTube video produced by 60 Second Docs.

In the video, Testa explained that there are 18 species of turtles, 12 that are threatened or endangered — but, she added, there is no legislation in place to protect them. Testa, who spends her life giving back, said that the most common ways turtles are injured is on the road, by dogs, or by propellers on boats.

In the video, she explains that healing a broken shell is "complex," and involves using brackets; she also helps to treat wounds and perform minor surgeries.

Testa added that the turtles are "very grateful" for the helping hand.

In recent months, Testa warned that 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.

Turtles, Testa 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 added, 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.