In some ways, this contradicts the story I put up yesterday about leaving animals alone, and not to mess with them. But turtles are a bit of a different story. We all know the story of the turtle and the hare. It's obvious that a rabbit can get wherever it's going at a high rate of speed, and can effectively avoid danger. But turtles in real life, occasionally need a hand getting where they're going.

PETA, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, put out a quick post about the right ways, and wrong ways to help turtles out. First and foremost, this is the time of the year that turtles start to become much more active, now that the weather is warming up. And they're getting ready to lay eggs around as well. So they're quite possibly trying to navigate between the water, and the spot where they've laid their eggs.

As they point out, fast cars and slow turtles are a potentially deadly combo, so if you do see a turtle in the middle of the road, help it out! For most turtles, you just need to hold them just in front of their hind legs, and move them on the side of the road in the direction they were headed in. And also don't move a turtle to a new location. Just get them to the side, and they should be fine from there.

If it's a snapping turtle, use a stick, or something that's not sharp, and urge the snapper along. Their necks are super long, and they can still get a bite at you. And perhaps most important of all, is that if you find an injured turtle of any kind, get it some help! You could get in touch with the game wardens, or call your local police department or animal control.

At any rate, they just need a hand every now and then. And remember, keep them going where they were headed, and don't relocate them. They'll be super happy. Even if they don't know how to show you how much they appreciate it. Because you know.... they're turtles.

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