I am pretty good with nature and animals and stuff like that. So when we found this giant snapping turtle in an alley in the middle of our city neighborhood, I knew I had to help him! He had already been out of the water way to long as I could see he was pretty dried out, all but the area around his partially closed eyes. The trick was getting him somewhere else, and where that somewhere would be...
I called my dad for some advice and he recommended a local pond. So I drove the car down to the turtle and attempted to load him in. Now I know you have to pick them up by the tail to avoid being snapped, this thing could probably remove my finger. but I didn't realize how quick he'd be, not letting me get behind him long enough to grab his tail. Wih the help and distraction of a shovel I finally managed to grab him, but was not prepared for the amount of weight I would be grabbing!! WOW!! It took a good 20 minutes for me to finally load this now very angry snapper into the trunk of my car. Again not thinking ahead as to how I'd get him out, and I drove very carefully to the pond about 5 minutes away.
Thankfully the ride dazed him a little and I was able to quickly grab him and lift him out of the trunk, but not before he started hissing and snapping at me. It was hard to keep the turtle out from my legs and several times I was almost snapped in the knee. I left him but the edge of the brush surrounding the pond area, but as long as I was there he kept his eyes on me and would not move. So I eventually got in the car and left knowing instinct would kick in and send him into the water. Not many people are crazy enough to attempt to save a wild snapping turtle, but that's the kind of adventure I really enjoy! This love of all things nature was passed to me by my dad, and when he saw the pictures he was pretty impressed. He naturally assumed if I was picking it up and putting it in my car it was about the size of my fist or so... haha! All in a days work, I guess!
