6/21 UPDATE: Snapping turtle released!

[pawsplus]

Well, my roommate and I had an exciting experience yesterday! The wildlife rehab center called and asked us to escort a volunteer and the snapping turtle we rescued more than a month ago back to the location at which we found him and assist in the release! I can't say I was terribly impressed w/ the volunteer, whose plan appeared to be to more or less just dump him off on the side of the road but needless to say, my roomie and I jumped in and said we'd take him all the way to his pond. We got permission from the owners, climbed the fence, and carried his tub to the side of the pond (which the owner said had just been restocked w/ fish, so he'd be very happy to come home!).
These 2 photos show him refusing to turn his back on us to walk into the pond. Can't really blame him, I guess.

The last photo shows him in the pond after we shooshed him in using the tub. He looked really good, having had surgery to amputate the damaged part of his tail and having had his shell epoxied back together. And he was good and mad, which is pretty much how you want to see a snapper.

Anyway, we told him to have a great life and to BE CAREFUL and left him soaking back in his very own pond. He'll have a story to tell his friends and family, that's for sure!

[kaz9t9]

fanatastic news elizabeth

[Toni115]

well good for you Elizabeth, there are still SOME nice people in the world!! you must be very proud

[nina]

You're a real hero! Great pictures, and a happy ending for the snapper you just released - fingers crossed that your latest rescue recovers also!

great news elizabeth

[pawsplus]

Originally Posted by nina

You're a real hero! Great pictures, and a happy ending for the snapper you just released - fingers crossed that your latest rescue recovers also!

Which latest rescue?? The snapper we released is the same one we rescued -- before pix at the top, release pix at the bottom of the thread. Or am I forgetting another one I rescued?

[nina]

My mistake, Elizabeth. I didn't see that the first posting was in May, and the latest updated that (I thought you'd rescued another one over the last few days). I think that rescuing one large snapping turtle a year is a good quota <vbg>.

Nina

[lizards-r-cool]

Originally Posted by pawsplus

Below are 2 pix of the snapping turtle (about 14" long shell) my roommate Becca and I rescued off the road the other day. We are pretty sure a car drove right over him. > People really do suck -- don't tell me that they don't. He has a cracked shell and a shredded up tail, but was pretty peppy (i.e., trying to kill us) as we were trying to get him into the muck bucket we had in the back of the trailer.

I am treating his injuries (from a safe distance) with Betadine solution. He's in a 100 gal. stock tank in the tack room right now and goes to Walden's Puddle Wildlife Rehab Center tomorrow. Changing the water in the stock tank is a logistical nightmare! It seems improbable that he doesn't have internal injuries, but Walden's will be able to determine that. Keep your fingers crossed for the big guy!

Oh poor little fellw hope he gets better soon!!!

[pawsplus]

lizards -- read the UPDATE from today. He's all better and has been released!

[phoenix23db]

wat a great story elizabeth, u shud be really happy with urself
its so nice to see animals being returned back to the wild when they have been through an ordeal like that!!