It is not very often that we get to go out on turtle rescue calls at the Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre; and so Friday July 20th proved to be an exciting day. KTTC had set up an education booth at the Antique Classic Car show days earlier and had spoken to one the site managers. They had noticed several large snapping turtles that appeared to have become trapped under the operational grist mill and were concerned for their safety. They are not sure how the turtles were getting into the mill, and there is concern that they would not be able to get back out again.
Armed with nets and hip waders, Kate and Olivia went out to Lang and cheerfully climbed into the dark water in the underbelly of the mill, managing to rescue two large snappers and release them into the water outside. The concern is that if left, any remaining turtles would not be able to bury into the floor to survive the winter.
With the main section of the basement containing water nearly six feet deep, we were unable to access that section to search for more turtles or be able to access their point of entry. The wonderful staff at Lang have offered to stop the mill at the beginning of September to then drain the area down to a depth of two feet to allow us to get in and remove any remaining turtles while also assessing the point of entry so that repairs can be made then to prevent turtles from gaining access to the mill in the future.
What a rewarding experience!
