2023-08-30

Firefighters come to aid of snapping turtle

COOKVILLE - Northfield district volunteer firefighters are no strangers to cat-in-tree-style public assistance calls involving the rescue of domestic animals but recently they responded to a unique alarm; coming to the aid of a large four-legged reptile.

In late July, first responders found an injured snapping turtle near a property where they were dealing with an unrelated alarm. Judy West, a captain with the department, noticed blood on its face and eye swelling.

"She was in some distress and she was not looking good," West said in a phone interview.

West contacted Hope for Wildlife, a Halifax County-based animal rehabilitation, rescue and education charity, and the organization dispatched a volunteer to check on and retrieve the turtle.

Firefighters moved the animal to a safer place, an area underneath a tree and away from the road where she was found. The turtle remained there until Hope for Wildlife arrived.

West figured the animal was injured sometime during the July 21-22 rain storm. The founder and director of Hope for Wildlife, Hope Swinimer, said the injuries point to an impact with a vehicle.

Swinimer said the turtle, being treated at the charity's main centre in Seaforth, is female and weighs about 10 kilograms, the equivalent heft of two bowling balls.

The animal sustained two jaw fractures and head trauma but no breaks in the shell, Swinimer said in a phone interview. Females make up most of the about 100 turtle inhabitants at Hope for Wildlife, as they are typically mobile a lot in quests to lay eggs.

"She probably laid her eggs and was heading home when she got hit," Swinimer added.

The fire department's rescue will likely be in Seaforth for close to a year before any consideration to releasing her. "They heal really slowly," she said.

The animal's prognosis is "guarded," but Swinimer remains hopeful. "It will be a long recovery .. we'll spend the time on her; we have really good luck with broken bones on turtles."

She said to follow certain procedures when it comes to turtles, such as never turning them around when they're travelling.

"If they are in the middle of the road, the best thing you can do is move them 20-to-30 feet off the side of the road in the direction they are going," Swinimer pointed out. It's good practice to check for injuries but don't move them away from their territory - just away from any immediate danger.

Call or text Hope for Wildlife at 1-902-407-9453 for guidance. More about the organization can be found at https://www.hopeforwildlife.net on the internet.

West said she was told the turtle was quite old, perhaps close to triple digits. The firefighter was happy to play a part in the animal's safe extrication.

"The week before, we were rescuing people out of their houses, this was a different type of rescue."

Local Hope for Wildlife branch receives vet clinic status

Swinimer said the drop-off centre in Middlewood now has wildlife veterinary clinic status. Sanctioned by a provincial veterinary medicine body, the licencing allows for more medical opportunities to stabilize an animal.

The new certification permits the centre more opportunities to help wildlife on the South Shore, she said.

The centre is located off Camperdown School Road.