Rescuing an Old Snapping Turtle

It’s been extremely hot around here the past 2-3 weeks. During the heatwave we’ve noticed a lot of wild animals showing up in our backyard. We’ve seen a few snakes, a young bear, a few ducks, possum, skunks, groundhogs, and this old snapping turtle.

I think during the summertime they find our backyard due to our veggie garden hoping to steal a bite to eat. We have it fenced in…but some animals can dig under the fence or climb it. We have to keep a vigilant eye on our garden during the late summer months of the year.

Anyway, this old snapping turtle was hanging out in our yard for several days when I noticed that he seemed sickly…like something was wrong. Of course every time we got close he would snap and warn us to get away. After a few days he looked like he was getting worse so I called the local Wildlife officials and they came out to look.

Well, he was sick and they took him to receive medical care. A few days later they called to give me an update and to thank me for calling them. Most people don’t and wildlife animals suffer and die. He was mal-nourished, dehydrated, infested with GI parasites and had a crack underneath his shell that they repaired. He was going to get a few weeks of medical treatment and they’re hoping he’ll be released back into the wild once done.

If you see wildlife hanging out on your property and they look sick or injured…don’t just ignore it. Try calling local officials to come out and take a look. You may just save a life!