Tuesday, Tea and my rant about Turtles

Good Morning Tuesday !

sorry , no tea.
 But there is a teacup.

Something has been bothering me lately.

What if you were walking across the street, 
on your way to Starbucks and someone 
grabs your arm and quickly ushers 
you out of the way of an oncoming truck?
 Whew. close one. 

But.

What if you were walking across the street,
on your way to Starbucks and someone grabs your arm,
 picks you up and placed you in a box . . .
 then plopped you down in the next county. . .
in the middle of nowhere without a map.  

My point?
 . . .  and the reason for this post . . . 
 

If you see a turtle crossing the road. take note of 
the direction it is traveling . . .
 then pick him up and move him out of harms way. . .
to the other side of the road. . .
pointing in the same direction.  
Believe it or not ... he knows where he is going.

Helping him get to the other side of the road is a good thing.

 BUT STOP THERE

 If you pick him up and take him to the nearest 
pond or stream you might have just removed 
him from his home territory and the safety of his den. 
A turtle territory is not that large, usually a few acres. 
    Oh, and what if that pond or stream is home to a heron? 

    ... you just delivered his next meal.

 that heron sure is grateful. 

 But the turtle isn't. 

Box turtles have a natural homing instinct 
that causes them to return to their birth place. 
If you move the turtle out of his territory 
he will find his way home, but may encounter 
many dangers along the way.

So please,
the next time you see a turtle crossing the road. . . 

 help him get across safely. 
Point him in the same direction , admire him , 
take a few pictures and walk away. 
 He'll be so grateful.

Thanks for listening.

Marianne

Linking to Elizabeth for her T stands for Tuesday link party.