Worries abounding.

[valis2]

I was just driving home and passed a turtle. A turtle on the largish side (about a foot long). It looked like a dark rock, but I immediately knew what it was, and I was so worried, because it looked like it was walking a little strangely. It was perpindicular to the road, obviously trying to cross it, which is bad; it's the end of rush hour and it's a busy two-land road. It was in the third lane, which is used to go around people who are turning left there.

I came back and parked, and as I walked up behind it, it broke my heart by retreating into its shell every time a car whooshed past. It wasn't a snapper, thank goodness, because they can bite you even if you hold them by the very back of their shells, so I picked it up and took it across the street.

But there's nothing much across the street, so then I took it back to where it (presumably) had come from, which is a big lake with some wild shore still left.

Now I'm second-guessing myself, because it might have wanted to lay eggs or something. I'm totally worried that it is, at this moment, laboriously turning itself around in order to try to cross the street again.

It'll take it awhile, I'd imagine, so I'm going to go check in another hour. *frets*

ETA: No sign of the turtle. *giant sigh of relief*

Comments

[florence-craye.livejournal.com]

Awww, you an I are soul sisters! We saw and hung out with a wren fledgling yesterday afternoon. I posted pictures in my flickr today. Last night, it rained and I was worried because it hadn't learned to fly yet and I wanted it to be safe. It took all I had to not go out there and look for it.

This afternoon, we walked by the big woodpile in the backyard, and some of the other wrens flew away from it. The little one we saw yesterday was sheltering under a log and still can't fly. It's most likely a few days younger than the others. I will probably go back out and check on it later, just to ease my mind as well.

I am glad you will check on the turtle again. I would be worried too!

[cactus-wren.livejournal.com]

You're going to go back, you're so cute. That's very sweet of you.

Btw, did you see this?

[ziasudra-fic.livejournal.com]

I think you did what was best for the turtle. I mean, it wasn't going to be successfully laying eggs if it (she?) ends up stuck in the middle of a road, right? And at least there's water and presumably sources of food on the side you brought it back to.

I have a soft spot for turtles. I used to have two, and they were my first pets.

[todayiamadaisy]

I tried to rescue a fledging bird that landed on the road once and the mother bird came and pecked me. So much for helping. :-)

[imafarmgirl.livejournal.com]

Aww, you're so special. We need more people like you in the world.

[gina-r-snape.livejournal.com]

Oh bless! You're so sweet.

You got it out of traffic, which is the best you could possibly do. I seriously doubt you've done any lasting harm by moving it.

[seaislewitch.livejournal.com]

We had a similar situation on our street. There were lots of new homes being built, so the animals were losing their habitats. That also meant big dump trucks and little turtles in the road! We had to move a few of them -- any number of times. *understands*

[rinsbane.livejournal.com]

oh my goodness, that breaks my heart just a little reading about it. I'm a sop for animals - I get very worried about them. This is not helped by the fact that one of my dogs is a 20 lb. car chaser, out of control. I guess he's my parents' dog, but how I fret! It sounds like you did the right thing - there's no way to know what goes on in a turtle's mind, and if it's determined, you can't stop it.

[mingbutterfly.livejournal.com]

Eep, poor turtle! But he couldn't have a better friend than you. :-)

When you rule the world, I take it Class Reptilia will fare only slightly less well than Class Cephalopoda? *many hugs* for you and your kind heart.