That bump on the road ahead? Go slow, it might be a turtle

A local conservationist is asking drivers to keep an eye out for turtles after finding two injured turtles on the road that later died.

Daria Koscinski works for Thames Talbot Land Trust, which owns conservation land across the area.

On Monday she found two injured turtles onLongwoods Road, located southwest of the city.

She took both turtles to an animal rescue centre, but they did not survive.

Koscinski said female turtles are on the move now and over the next few weeks as they search for nesting sites.

One of the turtles Koscinski found was a large female snapping turtle with a shell large enough to fill the bottom of a wheelbarrow.

"Her shell was maybe two feet across," Koscinski told CBC London. "They can be very large. We estimated she was more than 50 years old, probably 80 years old. They can live to be 150. She would lay a lot of eggs every year."

She said another large turtle was spotted on Wellington Street earlier this week not far from Commissioner's Road.

Koscinski said turtles oftenlay their eggs in loose substrate, including the gravel found on roadsides. She also said turtles have been known to travel many kilometres at this time of year in search of a nesting spot.

How does a turtle cross the road? Slowly

She encourages drivers who see turtles on the road to do what they can without putting themselves at risk to help them get across the road.

"Anything that looks like a bump on the road could be a turtle," she said. "Do slow down if you see something that could be a turtle. If it's safe, pull over and try to help the turtle across the road.

"Whichever direction they're facing, that's the best way to take them because if you put them back on the shoulder where they came from, they're just going to turn around and try to go back across the road."

She advised caution when it comes to picking up turtles. Snapping turtles, as their name suggests, can bite.

OPP Sgt. David Rektor also cautioned drivers about stopping or slowing down to help any animal across the road. Last week witnessed an incident where acar had stopped in the passing lane of Highway 401 for a group of baby ducks crossing the road. The story ended well: The ducks made their crossing safely and there was no collision.

"We were lucky we didn't have a fatal crash," said Rektor. "We don't want a serious crash as a result of trying to avoid an animal on the road."