Turtles

Political Paranoia and Dead Turtles

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The other day I was reading a light-hearted post on Facebook about the dangers that turtles face while crossing highways and that people can help them by avoiding hitting them. Then of course there had to be a completely irrational animal rights extremist on that post, who had to warn people about those who would go out an intentionally hit turtles on the road, because apparently there are a lot of turtle haters in the world who have leak-proof steel tires and ultra-durable suspensions on their cars. I do not recommend hitting turtles, bricks, tin cans, glass bottles, large rocks, and other debris on the road – and certainly not intentionally. You can damage your suspension of your car, not to mention dent a rim or get a flat tire.

Political paranoia is the greatest threat facing our country. There are too many people who have a paranoid view of the world – and believe everybody is out to get them. Animal rights extremists believe that there are people out there actively to kill turtles for nothing but the fact they are turtles, and apparently people hate turtles – and want to destroy their cars in the process. Not that there is much evidence to that fact. But the paranoid don’t want to hear that. They want to believe that there are evil forces out there, actively working to destroy their world. Such people are not helpful to our country or the process of it’s governing, because they are demeaning well meaning, hard-working individuals and are distraction to actual needed change in our country.

Turtle in the Mud

Common snapping turtle – Wikipedia

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Common snapping turtle – Wikipedia

The common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is a large freshwater turtle of the family Chelydridae. Its natural range extends from southeastern Canada, southwest to the edge of the Rocky Mountains, as far east as Nova Scotia and Florida. The three species of Chelydra and the larger alligator snapping turtles (genus Macrochelys) are the only extant chelydrids, a family now restricted to the Americas. The common snapping turtle, as its name implies, is the most widespread.

MeatEater Conservation – Studies Show 3% of Drivers Swerve to Hit Snakes and Turtles

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MeatEater Conservation – Studies Show 3% of Drivers Swerve to Hit Snakes and Turtles

Police departments and insurance agencies routinely advise motorists to never swerve to avoid dogs, deer or other animals darting onto roads and highways. Sudden high-speed moves can send vehicles spinning or cause them to strike a tree, guardrail or other cars and trucks. Motorists fare better by bracing, braking, holding straight and letting the animal dictate its fate.

Slowly moving snakes and turtles, however, seldom trigger panicky reactions. In fact, they sometimes do the opposite. Whether the reptiles are straddling centerlines, sunning themselves on paved shoulders, or laying eggs in soft roadside sand and gravel, they provoke some drivers to attack, not evade.

Several studies and experiments over the past three decades found that roughly 3% of motorists intentionally steer off course to Goodyear reptiles on roadways.