That box turtle in your yard has been there longer than you.
Eastern box turtles live 50-80+ years. They have home ranges of only 2-5 acres. They know every rock, every water source, every hibernation spot in their tiny territory.
They're also disappearing. Fast.
Box turtle populations have declined by over 50% in the past 50 years. In many suburban areas, they're functionally extinct โ no breeding population remains.
The causes:
Cars. Box turtles move slowly. They cross roads. They don't make it.
Collection. People find them and take them home as "pets." A 40-year-old turtle removed from the wild never adapts to captivity.
Relocation. Well-meaning people "relocate" them to parks or woods miles away. The turtle immediately tries to walk home. Across roads. Through neighborhoods. For months. Until it dies or is killed.
Habitat loss. Every subdivision that replaced forest eliminated an entire generation.
Dogs. Domestic dogs kill box turtles by crushing their shells.
Every box turtle you see is irreplaceable. They take 7-10 years to reach sexual maturity. Females lay only 3-8 eggs per year. Survival rate for eggs is below 5% due to raccoon and skunk predation.
They can't recover from population loss quickly. Losing one breeding female sets the local population back a decade.
What to do:
If you see one crossing a road โ help it across in the direction it's heading. NEVER relocate it elsewhere.
NEVER take one home as a pet. It's illegal in many states and a death sentence for the turtle.
If it's in your yard โ leave it. It lives there.
Keep dogs supervised โ they attack turtles.
Drive carefully on rural and suburban roads May-October.
That turtle survived 40 years in a 3-acre world.
Its entire life depends on those 3 acres staying safe.
Leave it where it is. Help it cross the road. And let it be.
๐จ TEDDY IS OUT OF TIME ๐จ
๐ Teddy is still waiting for someone to save him, but his time is running out.
There were hopes for a plan, but it fell through. Now this sweet boy has no adoption or foster interest and only hours remain.
Teddy is as gentle as they come. He loves affection, softly resting his head in a person's hand while looking up with those soulful eyes, hoping for love. ๐ฅบ He already knows how to sit, especially for treats, and takes them with the gentlest manners.
Like many shepherds, Teddy is struggling in the shelter environment. A foster home or forever family could completely change his future and allow his loving personality to shine.
Please share Teddy, tag rescues, and help him find the hero he's been waiting for. โค๏ธ
๐พ TEDDY #A185063โจโข 2 years oldโจโข Maleโจโข Vaccinatedโจโข 68 lbs
๐ถ Pasadena Animal Shelterโจ5150 Burke RdโจPasadena, TX 77504
๐ฉ Adoptions: [email protected]โจ๐ฉ Foster/Rescue: [email protected]
๐ Apply to foster or adopt:โจhttps://t.co/VYO2pQz09O
๐จ NATIONAL SECURITY ALARM ๐จ Egyptian-born Dr. Hisan "Adam" Hamawy, who has direct past ties to the Blind Sheikh,the convicted mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing plot, just won the Democratic primary for New Jerseyโs 12th Congressional District, putting him on track to become a U.S. Congressman.
This is a dangerous national security failure.