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TAHLEQUAH DAILY PRESS (Oklahoma) 23 May 05 Good Samaritans look for turtles on the move (Eddie Glenn)
"You know how hard it is to tell one turtle from another; they all look the same to a rabbit."
And thus begins Murv Jacob's tale about the great race between the Turtle and the Rabbit - one of the many Cherokee stories about Rabbit, who's something of a trickster.
But this time, Rabbit gets fooled by his slower, shell-bound competitor.
The turtles, knowing the odds aren't in their favor, post several members of their species at different places along the race route, including one just short of the finish line. They each have to go only a short ways, but Rabbit - not realizing he's racing a whole team of turtles, not just one - runs himself out, and Turtle (or team of turtles) wins the race.
"The turtles beat him hands-down (do turtles have hands, Murv?), but they do it by trickery," said Jacob.
That could help explain why there are so many turtles out on the roads this time of year: Maybe they're just waiting to run their relay section of the race against the rabbit.
But according to Valerie Cook, seasonal employee at the Tenkiller State Park Nature Center, there may be a more scientific reason why turtles are out in such great numbers.
"I'm not a turtle expert, but they're probably crossing the roads trying to get to water," Cook said, although she thought the idea of a turtle race (against other turtles, not rabbits) was a good one, and she's going to try to get the powers-that-be at the park to sponsor one.
Cook may not consider herself an expert, but she's right. Turtles are out right now, looking for water, and that special someone to share it with.
But turtles have been around a lot longer than asphalt, and unfortunately, they don't always realize the dangers of crossing a road; some of them end up decorating the road, instead of crossing it.
"I know a number of people who will risk their own safety, and that of the people in an automobile with them, to get out of their car and move turtles off the road," said Ed Fite, Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission administrator.
He added that some of the larger snapping turtles in the Illinois River may even be responsible for the decreased number of troublesome donkey and hog reports along the river.
"They are an important part of the ecosystem in any healthy river," Fite said.
He's talking, of course, about the turtles - not so much the folks who help them cross the road.
But for those who do risk life and limb to assist a turtle in need, Cook (who thought she wasn't a turtle expert) has some advice.
"If they're looking for water, they probably know which way it is," she said. "So it makes sense to move them in the same direction they're going, not just back to the edge of the road."
Along with the snapping turtles that patrol the Illinois River, several other species of turtles live in Northeastern Oklahoma.
The most common road-crosser is the three-toed box turtle, which - as you may have guessed – has three toes on each foot (although some have four, they're still called three-toed box turtles).
Then there's the ornate box turtle, which - as its name implies - has some pretty fancy patterns on its shell.
Perhaps because they're so often found out on the roads, box turtles are often kept as pets. Some people even put them through a rigorous training regimen (hours of lettuce-munching) to prepare them for races against other turtles. In Oklahoma, a person can keep up to six box turtles in captivity, but they can't be transported across state lines.
Then there are two species of snapping turtles: the common snapping turtle and the alligator snapping turtle. Although Fite may have been joking about them taking on donkeys and hogs, some of the alligator snappers are big enough to do just that. The record weight for an alligator snapper is 219 pounds, and they live for quite some time. Some have even been found (still alive in the 21st century) with musket balls imbedded in their shells.
Although they can be somewhat aggressive (they don't seem to mellow with age), snappers still get occasional help crossing the road. After all, who wants to hit a 219-pound turtle with a car?
Evidently, turtle-saving isn't just a local phenomenon. American Tortoise Rescue, a non-profit organization that saves and rehabilitates tortoises and turtles, has declared Monday, May 23, "World Turtle Day."
(It's also Victoria Day in Canada, but there doesn't appear to be any connection between the two celebrations.)
American Tortoise Rescue goes a bit farther than just helping turtles cross roads, though. Many of the turtles they rescue are injured or ill; some have been left ownerless after law enforcement raids.
According to the organization's Web site, www.tortoise.com, "Problems range from dog bites, amputations, upper respiratory infections, shell rot, starvation, stress, failure to thrive, run over by cars, parasites, worms, predator attacks and other medical problems like liver and kidney diseases. Many of the conditions are caused by owners or ignorant individuals. Some are cruelty cases."
American Tortoise Rescue would probably be proud of Jacob's dad, who - long before Jacob was aware of Cherokee turtle mythology - instilled in him a great appreciation for the animals.
"My dad was called 'The Turtle Man of Topeka,'" said Jacob.
According to Jacob, a new bridge constructed near his childhood home in Topeka, Kan., caused turtles along the creek to risk life, limb, and shell crossing the road to get to water. Jacob's dad went to the Topeka City Council to ask them to install a turtle crossing under the bridge.
"They laughed at him, so he called National Public Radio and told them about it," said Jacob. "They did a story about it, and people started calling."
Eventually, the city council gave in to the public outcry, and built the turtle crossing.
Following in his father's footsteps, Jacob is now an avid turtle-saver himself. He believes it's the least he can do for a species that does so much for the Tahlequah community.
"I know a Cherokee medicine man who told me how, years ago, his grandmother went out and put four turtle shells, one in each direction, just outside of town to protect Tahlequah from tornados," said Jacob. "He goes out every now and then and replaces them; it seems to be working."
http://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/articles/2005/05/23/news/top_stories/turtles.txt