Removing this turtle from the middle of the road, pissing off several waiting drivers in the process! Turtle rescue ( photo / image / picture from Ronni's Garden )
Yeah, I pretty much did just that, Carolyn. Didn't really appreciate the woman who flipped me off ...... but hey, saving a life more than made up for that minor annoyance.
You were probably holding her up from racing even faster since she was already late starting out and she was trying to put on her makeup, read the paper, shave and talk on the phone, she just really was inconvenienced at having to stop for a moment for a turtle. geesh, Ronni!
Yeah, that's exactly the read I got, Carolyn!! I mean, seriously! How DARE I hold her up when she clearly had more important things to do than be inconvenienced by me. It's just a turtle, for crying out loud! :-x What both amuses and perplexes me about this kind of thing is that I am holding myself up too, y'know? I'm going to be late as well, when I choose to stop and take care of something like this instead of just speeding past and leaving that turtle to a certain demise. I guess the people who get mad don't like that I'm making that choice FOR them. And while I can understand that, what I don't understand is why that's more important than saving the life, even if it's "only" of a turtle.
You're a woman after my own heart Ronni. I've stopped traffic before now to rescue hedgehogs from the wheels of death.
A lot of people are just oblivious to their surroundings when they are driving. There are app. 50000 deer killed annually on the highways in PA.
I appreciate all the nice things you've said, it felt good to help that little guy out. But really, it's not about the kudos. I don't think I'm some special person because hey look! I stopped and moved a turtle 20 feet! Respect for life, ANY life, is not uncommon, and as evidenced by your comments, you wouldn't have done anything different than I did. It's just what you do when you see a living thing in need or danger. Right? Which is why I guess those folks' negative reaction to being inconvenienced is so offensive and bewildering to me. I feel like I'm not doing anything special, just doing something that anyone with just a shred of common decency would do. So when people get annoyed because I'm doing that, I just can't comprehend it. You mean you, the people behind me who were so annoyed at being held up, you wouldn't? You wouldn't rescue this poor turtle if you were the first one to come across it? Really? Seriously? How very, very sad for you.
Ronni, we have done the same thing for turtles, ducks, and other creatures. I'm not sure I'd do it for the woman who flipped you off...
Ronni, I am glad you are a turtle rescuer! We critter rescuers have to stick together! The last time I stopped to escort a turtle off the road, I have a very different kind of experience. Traffic stopped in all directions. I kid you not. Everybody watched me as I picked the thing up & then heaved it over a fence to get it closer to the water. Only after I had done that did the cars drive away. I don't know if the drivers hadn't seen a turtle in a while or what. It was a painted turtle, the kind that likes water & there was a tall fence between it & the water. There was a big poison ivy patch that I was trying to skirt around...Maybe the other drivers were just curious to see how I was going to solve my predicament.
I always stop for turtles. I let them finish crossing on their own unless there is a danger of them being hit by another car. I see that some people do not and hit them. It makes me really sad. I really like turtles. Thank you for stopping and helping the turtle to the water. It probably appreciated it very much. dooley
Ive never had to rescue a turtle from the road, but weve been rescuing turtles from our store the past few weeks! Weirdest thing. We'll find them anywhere, in the cart corral, a family found one wandering about the floor covered in dust bunnies, found one (already dead) in the parking lot...yeesh. So we take em out by the creek that runs by the store. No idea what kind they are so we just leave em in the grass and let em make their own way.
