Family’s roadside assistance saves 16 snapping turtles

Hug family turtle release. Photo credit: Erin Hug.

by SAMANTHA PLUNKETT, Capital News Service

LANSING — With her shell cracked into numerous pieces, the mother turtle lay motionless in the road with her eggs scattered around her.

That’s when Erin Hug and her daughter drove by.

After spotting the injured turtle lying in the road near Battle Creek last summer, Hug stepped in to help and transferred the turtle on a tote lid and into her car and drove it into Battle Creek.

“This poor turtle had been run over,” said Hug. “Clearly, her injuries were quite extensive. When my daughter and I went over to check on her, we did notice that she was still alive.”

Hug rescued the turtle and her eggs, and that is when she called All Species Kinship, a local wildlife rehabilitation center.

All Species Kinship works towards two main goals of reducing animal suffering and getting the animals back into the wild to be productive members of their population, said Sophia DiPietro, the co-founder and executive director of the nonprofit organization.

“We pride ourselves on being a very rapid response team,” said DiPietro. “We’ve learned over the years that many people don’t realize that an injured turtle can actually have a second chance at life.”

“Our first priority is to reduce their suffering,” she said. “We get them to an experienced reptile vet immediately, and they go through a series of diagnostics.”

Sadly, the turtle’s injuries were too severe, and she couldn’t be saved. But the vet noticed she had not laid all of her eggs, so the rest were removed and put into an incubator, Hug said.

“The vet clinic gives them medication, which induces the eggs to come out,” DiPietro said. “At that point, the eggs go into incubators, and they’re labeled, and that process starts, completely separately from the adult turtle that comes back into our custody for continued rehab.”

It takes turtles up to 20 years to have eggs and reproduce, so conservation is extremely important, said DiPietro.

Hug’s actions saved 16 turtles, she added.

The 16 baby snapping turtles on their way to be released. Photo credit: Erin Hug.

This article was first published by Capital News Service and is being republished here under a syndication agreement. 

by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and a founder of the Manchester Mirror.