Why did the turtle cross the road?
That’s not really a question the Lynchburg Office of Animal Control and Wildlife Management cares about — the department is more concerned with making sure the reptiles don’t cause problems for themselves or for passing motorists.
In the past two days, officers have responded to two calls involving large turtles, both at primary city roadways.
The recent rain, along with warming temperatures and upcoming mating season, has given the turtles enough reason to wander, said Officer Todd Jones.
“With as much rain as we’ve been having, it creates a lot of standing water … it makes it easier for them to maneuver around, try new areas,” he said.
Thursday, Jones said, the department had to move a turtle crossing Boonsboro Road near Francis Horner Lane about 10:30 a.m.
Jones was not on the call, but said he was told the turtle was around 22 inches in diameter, and weighed between 40 and 50 pounds.
“A turtle like that could be anywhere from 45 to 60 years old,” Jones said.
Jones was on a Wednesday evening call that involved a common snapping turtle crossing Timberlake Road near Wood Road.
That turtle, Jones said, was similar in size and weight.
Normally, when responding to wild animal calls, he said, officers try to leave the animals in the same area if it’s possible. Jones said both turtles have been relocated to wooded, marshy areas within the city.
“If it’s going to be in danger of getting run over by a car … sometimes we do relocate them to a safer area,” he said.
That’s both for the safety of the animal and the people, particularly when it comes to snapping turtles.
“If people mess with them, they could injure themselves,” he said.
Turtles in the roadway are an altogether different animal.
“If you hit it, it could do some damage,” he said.
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