I rescued five garter snakes last week trying to cross the road. It was one of the first warm days, and they must have just come out of hibernation. They were all small and slender and very cute.

On the same walk, I saw a tiny dead turtle overturned with a beautiful orange pattern on his belly. A painted turtle hatchling. He was so little, he didn’t stand a chance against the car who hit him.

Snakes and turtles are on the move. Living on a lake and beside a culvert where turtles nest and hatch, we watch for them carefully and do what we can to keep our turtle population happy.

Last year, one heartbreaking morning, we witnessed the decimation of three large snapping turtles at our culvert. It was so disturbing, the girls were almost in tears.

We have an especial fondness for turtles in our house since Grace spent a semester interning at the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre in Peterborough (follow them on Facebook here). The centre recently completed a new 10,000 foot facility that will be open to the public this summer.

On any given day, the centre can house up to 2,000 turtles, including hundreds of hatchlings orphaned when their parents were killed by cars and dozens of injured turtles being treated in their hospital.

We were fortunate to be given a private tour of the centre last spring by Grace. It’s an amazing facility. In addition to being a full turtle veterinary hospital, it is a conservation and educational facility, educating the public about the importance of turtles in our ecosystem and the risks to the population.

All eight of Ontario’s turtle species are at risk. Less than 1% of turtle hatchlings will survive to adulthood. That means every turtle saved counts.

How you can help keep our turtle population happy

1. If you see a turtle in the middle of a road at risk of being hit, help it across the road (if it’s a snapper, they have tips for handling snappers on their website—I get Grace to do it!)
2. Put up signs on your property if you are in an area where turtles hatch and are on the move—you can get them at their online store
3. Slow down and brake if you see a turtle

What to do if you come across an injured turtle

Call the centre at 705-741-5000, x9. Note the location (road, intersection, closest municipal number) where the turtle was found so it can be released in the same place. Even dead turtles may contain eggs and be valuable.

Pictured above: Grace with “Mr D”, one of the permanent educational snapping turtles at the centre (due to his injury, Mr. D can never be released in the wild so he gets to meet school groups and seniors). Below: a blandings turtle, one of the more than 2,000 turtles treated at the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre in Peterborough. Dave and Grace in front of the Centre’s new state-of-the-art facility.