College student's turtle project takes dark twist

http://www.centurylink.net/news/rea...ion=2&lang=en&_LT=UNLC_USNWU00L2_UNEWS&page=1

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Clemson University student Nathan Weaver set out to determine how to help turtles cross the road. He ended up getting a glimpse into the dark souls of some humans.

Weaver put a realistic rubber turtle in the middle of a lane on a busy road near campus. Then he got out of the way and watched over the next hour as seven drivers swerved and deliberately ran over the animal. Several more apparently tried to hit it but missed.

"I've heard of people and from friends who knew people that ran over turtles. But to see it out here like this was a bit shocking," said Weaver, a 22-year-old senior in Clemson's School of Agricultural, Forest and Environmental Sciences.

To seasoned researchers, the practice wasn't surprising.

More at link.....

Wow, and i must be some sort of mutant because I would stop and move the turtle to the other side.

When I worked at the library, we had a turtle that I found in the road one day, as a pet for the summer and then released him. We also had a tiny 3 legged turtle a patron brought to us and a goldfish that had somehow ended up in a shipment of bait, that another patron brought to us. Oh, and a purple crawfish that Mr Swamp rescued from his nets for us.

I can't even read the article. I love turtles. And sometimes I hate people.

Wow, earlier this year I stopped about a half-mile from my house on the way home from church because a "gopher" turtle was crossing the road. I guess I confused him because he ran under my car. I was in church clothes so I couldn't get down there to try to reach him. After several people drove around me, a teen-age boy in a pick-up truck stopped and got him out. We put him on the other side of the road and he took off.
I just can't understand how someone would knowingly run over one.

SwampMama said:

Wow, and i must be some sort of mutant because I would stop and move the turtle to the other side.

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Respectfully snipped and bolded by me

So not a mutant Mama!

Not only did DH (aka CatDaddy3) once stop in the middle of a country road to move a turtle to a safer location, he later talked me through moving a turtle from our parking lot to a wooded area nearby.

I saw the little guy making his way across the lot and called CatDaddy to ask if I should move him out of the way. He asked me how I thought the turtle would make his way up over the curb (duh!) and told me to gently pick him up from behind and walk him over to the woods.

SwampMama said:

Wow, and i must be some sort of mutant because I would stop and move the turtle to the other side.

When I worked at the library, we had a turtle that I found in the road one day, as a pet for the summer and then released him. We also had a tiny 3 legged turtle a patron brought to us and a goldfish that had somehow ended up in a shipment of bait, that another patron brought to us. Oh, and a purple crawfish that Mr Swamp rescued from his nets for us.

Click to expand...

Yeah, and put them on the side in the direction they were going or pointed towards. And put them on the inside of a (rural) fence, if there is one.

Oh yeah, and I talk gently to them too "hey, it's OK, buddy", etc..

I took a couple home when I had a small tank (pond) but after I researched, it's better to just give them a boost (get them out of the road) and let them do their thang.

I've seen smashed turtles in the middle of the road, and I know accidents happen. But I do believe that there are some people (way too many) who will hit them on purpose.

Guess they're easier targets than mammals (since turtles sposedly move so slow). But have you ever seen a snapping turtle run? I guess it's the difference between slowly making one's way to find water, and being caught by a scary alien (human) who is trying to help you not get smashed in the road.

I have a funny story about a turtle intervention (even tho I don't know the ultimate outcome).

SwampMama said:

Wow, and i must be some sort of mutant because I would stop and move the turtle to the other side.

When I worked at the library, we had a turtle that I found in the road one day, as a pet for the summer and then released him. We also had a tiny 3 legged turtle a patron brought to us and a goldfish that had somehow ended up in a shipment of bait, that another patron brought to us. Oh, and a purple crawfish that Mr Swamp rescued from his nets for us.

Click to expand...

Purple crawfish? Sounds special. And what happened?

I was raised as all life is precious. I still can't kill a bug, spider, fly, whatever.

I wonder if the ones who deliberately harmed a creature are sociopaths, and if the study just reflects the percentage of them in society. On a campus at that. Not at some prison or inner city gang neighborhood.

Some people are just plain mean!

Fortunately, there are others out there who seek solutions. The link below explains how a new road in my home county was inadvertently placed between the Juniata River and prime egg-laying territory for turtles. A kinder, gentler solution was sought, found, and implemented. Twelve years later, the turtles are happy and abundant.

http://old.post-gazette.com/regionstate/20000517turtles5.asp