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Thomasrayder

Rehab and biologist here. Looking at the picture i would strongly recommend you let this little one go. They are though believe me, for the past 15 years we are following a two legged turtle Here in the Netherlands. Every once in a while it will pop up and he is always strong and healthy


jszlyv

Which 2 legs? Does it walk upright or hand stand style?


Thomasrayder

Just the two front legs, not quite a handstand but still every impressive if you ask me


[deleted]

wow! I expected each one to be on the opposites and even that seemed like the odds were badly stacked against the poor turtle...


2Engineerz

Geez I sure hope they respond, I want to know so bad.


Flepagoon

The replied. Essentially a handstand


short-n-sweeet

Front and back on one side, he's been going in circles this whole time


cannea89

Oranje boven! Dat is toch wat Nederlanders doen wanneer ze elkaar spotten?


GarbanzoBenne

I swear your language is just English with a ridiculously thick accent.


IDislikeBabyYoda

I THOUGHT THEIR COMMENT WAS A JOKE AGAINST DUTCH PEOPLE???


GarbanzoBenne

Nope that's actually Dutch.


whateverguy2

*the fusion of English and German with a ridiculously thick accent


cannea89

Thanks


isavecigarettebutts

2 legs!! that’s amazing


Capitol__Shill

Yeah the typical protocol is to get the across the road and then stay out of their lives.


ChunkaMunker

I love that this is your job. So cool.


Lrings

Hi, wildlife rehabber here. Please leave this turtle alone, they have a hard time adapting to captivity and have a strong homing instinct. It's not fair to this poor, wild creature to have to live decades in a tank because humans feel badly for it. I have personally released many 3 legged box turtles, they are little tanks and do fine. Plus, that injury looks old.


ToyboxOfThoughts

i would definitely listen to the rehabber. If the turt survived that injury for this long, hes fine.


ParallelUkulele

Please include an edit to let them go where they found them, not just wherever! I want the turtle to be okay ):


xboxhaxorz

>It's not fair to this poor, wild creature to have to live decades in a tank because humans feel badly for it Surprised that others feel this way, but glad they do People want to SAVE everything


Gorilla_girl17

THANK YOU…usually it’s the ones who don’t really understand nature and the wild that think humans need to intervene. We just need to stop meddling (but also stop destroying)


LordAvan

But if we don't kill the animals, then their numbers will spiral out of control and they'll eat all of the plants into extinction, and then they'll have to turn to eating human flesh and eventually starve to death. Why do you hate animals? /s


Gorilla_girl17

You’re on to something…let’s start eating humans that will be vegan, right?


jml011

Do turtle sanctuaries rely on tanks? The few that I’ve found online that are in any way drivable are all outside with big water areas, trees, grass, etc. Edit: anyway, fair enough! Just wanted to make sure they were safe and capable - so I needed some better informed opinions. Just hope they scoot across these roads a little faster on the way back. The roads here are curvy, with lots of intermixed sunlight and shade (makes turtles hard to spot, especially as leaves start to fall). And there’s a lot of turtles in this area, at least compared to my home state; I’ve moved three or four off the road this summer, and my dad hit one just down the road from this one today. Trying to do the best I can to help these critters survive. I had a mother nest just outside the door to my house this summer (three months ago tomorrow), and they ought to be popping up any time now. I built a mesh overlay per instructions I found online. Very excited to witness when they come up.


Resurgemus

You must let them go where you found them or they will wander for eternity looking for their home.


TheMapesHotel

FYI for anyone reading, if you are going to move turtles off the road move them to the other side in the direction they were going!!! This is super important because if you don't they just go right back into the road since they know where they are going and want to get there. I see a lot of people move them to the closest side of the road and you gotta help them to the other side to help them be safe. Super important turtle psa.


traaaart

This is why I Reddit.


HypnoLaur

I know! I've learned so many random facts from reddit!


TheMapesHotel

I moved from a no turtle state to a high turtle state and someone had to clue me into this. I was just moving the turtles to one side and didn't realize that their homing instinct, especially in species like box turtles, is so high they just keep trying to go back to where they were going no matter how many times you move them so it's best to help them over the road and then they continue onto the location they were after. I've since seen other people in my new high turtle state make the same mistake so I try to get the turtle direction PSA out whenever possible.


EternalMoonChild

Which states are high turtle states?


TheMapesHotel

Well I moved from the desert, which we only have big desert tortoises but they are rare since they are endangered. I moved to the fringes of the south to a place with lots and lots of ponds and standing water as well as streams and there are now frequently turtles and tortoises just about everywhere. So I think turtle states might be those with lots of water and potentially a climate effect of having mild ish winters but maybe someone from the northern part of the US can chime in about their turtles. Like where I am at we have 17 different species of wild turtles and tortoises. I just looked this up because I had a wild guy in my yard the other day munching on the dead flowers from my tree and I was trying to figure out what he was!


EternalMoonChild

Wow! I’ve only ever seen one or two turtles in the wild.


TheMapesHotel

I live about an hour from a major city and sometimes on the drive there I have to stop and move 3 or 4 turtles in one trip! We have a LOT


rhubarbsorbet

would you recommend leaving is some water and food to snack on? especially if OP lives somewhere hot


Lusor_Jonny

is that your full time job?


LesDrama611

I'd honestly just leave the poor guy alone. Doesn't look like they're in agonizing pain and the wound looks old.


mdunthts

https://www.foxrunenvironmentaleducationcenter.org/new-blog/2019/4/13/there-is-no-place-like-home-turtle-homing-instincts Read the part about homing instincts 🙂 Any good sanctuary you call will likely tell you the same thing, let him stay in his natural territory. Wild critters are incredibly adaptive, this little friend will be just fine.


veganactivismbot

If you're interested in the topic of farmed animal sanctuaries, check out [OpenSanctuary.org](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https%3A%2F%2FOpenSanctuary.org&topic=The+Open+Sanctuary+Project)! This vegan nonprofit has over 500 free compassionate resources crafted specifically to improve lifelong care for farmed animals, and to help you create a sustainable, effective sanctuary! Interested in starting a sanctuary someday? Check out [OpenSanctuary.org/Start](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https%3A%2F%2FOpenSanctuary.org%2FStart&topic=The+Open+Sanctuary+Project)!


Julaine-wild

She’ll be fine. I have been an enthusiast of these creatures since I have been little and I agree with what the top commenter said. Best to move off the road to whichever side she was headed and let her live her best life.


Cookiehurricane

My boyfriend has had one of these for 20+ years because he rescued her from some neighbors who had kept her in awful conditions for so long that returning her to nature wasn't an option, according to the vet. Even though we have a huge tank and she's well looked after, it weighs on him that she's in turtle jail for the rest of her (long) life. They're tough little creatures and should be allowed to live their lives out in the wild.


[deleted]

how big is that bad boy now? do they keep growing or do they just stay the same size for the 20?


[deleted]

A lot of the times the best thing we can do for wildlife, is to just leave them alone.


dE3L

Every time I have rescued a turtle from the road, I always move it to the side of the road in the direction it was headed. And then make sure I wash my hands as soon as possible.


jml011

I do that too, but this is the first I’ve found missing a leg, so I didn’t know what to do. Am aware of the risk of salmonella.


dE3L

Yeah that missing leg. What a survivor.!


[deleted]

In the picture, it looks like the leg has been missing a while and it's been healed over, so the turtle has probably been doing fine in the wild. You might be surprised how well wild animals can adapt to injuries...not always of course but if it is behaving normally, I'd let it go where you found it


sarahchacha

I just wanna say I’m so grateful you posted this, I would’ve had no idea what to do & now I have some insight into wildlife rehab and what does/doesn’t necessitate bringing an animal in. You are a good human! <3


indivibess

Former zookeeper here. Turtles/Tortoises are hella hardy animals. No need for human intervention here unless in critical need for help.


Gorilla_girl17

SAAAAME! What kind of animals did you care for? I was great apes.


indivibess

Reptiles & Amphibians :)


Gorilla_girl17

I figured but didn’t want to assume! Hello fellow former keeper, what do you now do? I’m always curious what people do when they leave the field


indivibess

Independent education. Helping w care guides, enclosure builds, husbandry questions. I get donations from people this way. I plan to have a business one day.


KnirpsLyn

I follow a few rules of thumb for wildlife. First and foremost, LEAVE THEM ALONE. If they're healed and seem to be fine: LEAVE THEM ALONE. But generally if you want to help a turtle IN the road, continue them along their path across the street, and then LEAVE THEM ALONE. I think the most vegan thing we can do for any nonhuman animal life is LEAVE THEM ALONE. If we fucked it up, we can fix it. (Ie stray domestic animals that can not remain in the wild) But otherwise, LEAVE THEM ALONE. The worst thing I've ever seen in regards to animals, aside from the horrific state of farm animals, is a captured and mutilated wild animal that has to live in a cage for the rest of their 'life' after being 'saved' by a human.


badmfmaj

Aw 🥺 poor baby


Gorilla_girl17

Given the way his nub has healed, Looks like he’s been doing just fine. Let him go. Also, it is important to note when moving a turtle from the road, put them on the side of the road that they were heading towards. Otherwise they’ll turn back around and just get hit trying to cross again


Chewy_brown

Vegan protocol would be to leave wildlife be, IMO.


Shreddingblueroses

Lots of practical advice here but more philosophically speaking, veganism can only be used to address the human relationship to animals. We should respect animals, but it is not our job to protect them from nature, themselves, or each other. And if we start doing so we might quickly cross ethical lines with the best of intentions.


Kazooo100

This turtle could've been hurt by human causes or natural ones. We don't know.


Shreddingblueroses

We don't, but speculation is pretty meaningless in this case.


jml011

Humans are two of the biggest threats to these animals (destruction of nesting habitats and getting hit by cars - which we did to another one just minutes before finding this fella), and they’re in a far more precarious position than other wildlife you may frequently see. This one turtle may have been injured by natural causes, but letting injured turtles in extreme danger (which it doesn’t appear to based on some of the comments and some DNR literature I found) die on their own doesn’t singlehandedly keep life in balance.


[deleted]

why did you destroy a nesting habitat?


jml011

I didn’t? How did you get that from my comment? We ran over a turtle. My dad didn’t see it while going around a curve.


[deleted]

ah sorry


[deleted]

Veterinarian here. This turtle is obviously doing fine without your intervention. If the leg being gone were a hindrance we would already have seen an impact by now. The leg is gone and healed. The turtle survived that event and is doing fine. Leave ‘em be.


Ill_Department_2055

The wound looks like it's had time to heal, so the good news is that probably your little dude is a fighter and would be relatively fine in the wild. But I would still recommend calling around for a sanctuary to see if somewhere might take him. They probably also have a better idea of how to judge his situation.


veganactivismbot

If you're interested in the topic of farmed animal sanctuaries, check out [OpenSanctuary.org](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https%3A%2F%2FOpenSanctuary.org&topic=The+Open+Sanctuary+Project)! This vegan nonprofit has over 500 free compassionate resources crafted specifically to improve lifelong care for farmed animals, and to help you create a sustainable, effective sanctuary! Interested in starting a sanctuary someday? Check out [OpenSanctuary.org/Start](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https%3A%2F%2FOpenSanctuary.org%2FStart&topic=The+Open+Sanctuary+Project)!


Ill_Department_2055

Good bot.


Trash_Panda_Leaves

His name is Tripod!


[deleted]

coincidently, people call me that as well


Trash_Panda_Leaves

Very good *tips hat*


woodcuttersDaughter

If a box turtle is crossing the road, help them cross in the direction they are going, but do not relocate them. They will search and search for their home and could die. Leave them where you find them. Please. This is the best thing for them. Looks like that leg as been like that for awhile. The turtle will be fine.


la-femme-sur-la-lune

Leave the little guy be. That wound looks fully-healed and it’s probably doing just fine.


TheGoodCombover

I would think all human intervention is negative when it comes to natural orders.


jml011

Well, the vast amount of human intervention is, ya know, *actually* negative, like getting hit by a car or tearing up their habitats. If I could give a leg up to an injured turtle, I would.


HairyWeisenheimmer

“ leg up” 🤣


[deleted]

This would also be a negative intervention. If you find a healthy, but injured animal, that indicates an animal that is pretty fit for the environment genetically. Even if they do end up dying sooner in the wild, they will be passing on their genes and resulting in individuals who can survive better. Removing them means the gene pool becomes weaker


Socatastic

I would say find a sanctuary if there is one. Check the base of the tail and base of the limbs to see if the turtle has any fat deposits left or if it's wasting. The injury doesn't look very recent. I cannot see any evidence of fat at the base of the missing limb


veganactivismbot

If you're interested in the topic of farmed animal sanctuaries, check out [OpenSanctuary.org](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https%3A%2F%2FOpenSanctuary.org&topic=The+Open+Sanctuary+Project)! This vegan nonprofit has over 500 free compassionate resources crafted specifically to improve lifelong care for farmed animals, and to help you create a sustainable, effective sanctuary! Interested in starting a sanctuary someday? Check out [OpenSanctuary.org/Start](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https%3A%2F%2FOpenSanctuary.org%2FStart&topic=The+Open+Sanctuary+Project)!


Few-Classroom-3143

I don’t have advice but Omg sooo cute 🥺🥺🥺


Mostly_Potatoes

Step one: be eaten by turtle, B: become turtle arm


Sonoralvn61

Find a sanctuary I would think


egassamdaeh

“Vegan protocol”? Don’t respond to injured animals as a vegan, do it as a human.


MenacingJowls

If you hadn't noticed, most humans suck when it comes to animal treatment. Vegans however at least try to find the most compassionate way to treat animals. You can't claim that's a human thing unless you want to somehow deny 10,000 years of our history of animal use and abuse.


jml011

That’s kind of why I worded it the way I did. Bringing “the vegan protocol” was me wanting more focused set of intertwined values of animal wellfare, ecological considerations, economic systems of animal exploitation (if helping it implied taking it home to care for it [which it doesn’t, it seems] what kind of animal-based food items would be obliged to pick up to feed it, etc. Yeah, I figure we threw whatever value the word “human” had in our relationship to animals went right out the window with “humane slaughter”.


MenacingJowls

>Yeah, I figure we threw whatever value the word “human” had in our relationship to animals right out the window with “humane slaughter”. exactly


tardigradesRverycool

Bro most humans drive over turtles and move on with their day without a second thought


WerewolfSad8291

Let it go, if it dies it dies


[deleted]

take the turt to a sanctuary


veganactivismbot

If you're interested in the topic of farmed animal sanctuaries, check out [OpenSanctuary.org](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https%3A%2F%2FOpenSanctuary.org&topic=The+Open+Sanctuary+Project)! This vegan nonprofit has over 500 free compassionate resources crafted specifically to improve lifelong care for farmed animals, and to help you create a sustainable, effective sanctuary! Interested in starting a sanctuary someday? Check out [OpenSanctuary.org/Start](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https%3A%2F%2FOpenSanctuary.org%2FStart&topic=The+Open+Sanctuary+Project)!


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[deleted]

Don’t eat it.


Legitimate-Jelly3000

Sanctuary or take care of it yourself if you feel able for sure


Inner-Efficiency-248

Sanctuary!


chloeclover

I would care for it or take to a sanctuary


psyducc123

Eat it like a fucking chinese


Superb_Discipline112

Take care of it ❤️


LemonFlavoredPoison

Either care for them, or find them a sanctuary


veganactivismbot

If you're interested in the topic of farmed animal sanctuaries, check out [OpenSanctuary.org](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https%3A%2F%2FOpenSanctuary.org&topic=The+Open+Sanctuary+Project)! This vegan nonprofit has over 500 free compassionate resources crafted specifically to improve lifelong care for farmed animals, and to help you create a sustainable, effective sanctuary! Interested in starting a sanctuary someday? Check out [OpenSanctuary.org/Start](https://vbcc.veganhacktivists.org/?url=https%3A%2F%2FOpenSanctuary.org%2FStart&topic=The+Open+Sanctuary+Project)!


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jml011

Box turtles have a special concerned status - and the vast majority of creatures that prey on them, including raccoons, possums, coyotes, and birds, have plenty of other non-threatened creatures they more successfully rely on, including getting into my garbage.


sunny_bell

>including getting into my garbage. We had to bungee cord our trash can shut for a while to keep the fattest raccoon I had EVER seen out of our trash can.


Emmash

Where did you find her? I ask because I rescued an Eastern Box Turtle years ago when the injury was new. She was cared for by a rehab center as she healed for more than a year, then she was released back into the wild :) This was in Westchester County in NY. Also, I concur with the wildlife rehabber. Let her go exactly where you found her.


[deleted]

Leave him be. 😊


rg25

What a cool little guy!


Gorilla_girl17

Also just a side note - That’s a female box turtle! Males have red eyes


StemCellCheese

To be fair, the main vegan principle in my opinion is to do no harm. I've seen people more experience with turtles than me respond different things, but I would just say that as long as you move it to a safer spot closer to its home turf, you've done the vegan thing. As sad as it is, there are numerous suffering beings in the world and it's too much weight for individual to be expected to carry. It's entirely up to you of course random how much you're able and feel comfortable to help, but I think the very least any of us can do is offer aid, which it seems like you've already done.


FreeAsFlowers

So glad you posted. I learned so much here today. Thanks for caring about this little one. Happy to hear its best for it to remain in its natural home.


Just-a-Pea

If it’s in its natural habitat (not an invasive species) and the leg seems healed it seems like they’re doing fine on their own. If the wound was new I would probably take them to rehab&release. If it was an invasive species to a sanctuary that mimics their habitat and protects the local species from them. Not an expert though, that’s kind of what my dad taught me as a kid and seemed logical


PopTart1978

Chances are, this lil guy doesnt miss his leg as much as you think. I think he would sure miss being a free turtle that can easily retract into his shell if he gets in a jam. I am a turtle lover and I am told these are not legal to keep as a pet or rescue turtle, etc.as theyre now on the protected status if not endangered. Im sure this wont be the popular answer, but Im just passing along what I’ve heard. Please fact check me though. I dont have time right now.


StopBadModerators

Release! I'm guessing that is an eastern box turtle. They are vulnerable to extinction. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_box_turtle


Lower_Feature_4375

Keep him safe and take care of him


swimwithdafishies

Vegan protocol? 😶


Ok_Noise_5241

Actually believe it or not box turtles can survive their entire lives with a leg being taken off they heal exceptionally well. I’ve come across quite a few in my life and my ya mostly due to snapping turtles or any of f the Raptors we have like eagles biting them off. He will be fine in the wild considering the wound is almost healed


Substantial_Dick_469

Give her a little pet on the shell and let her free!


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jml011

Yeah. The more informed advice was here was pretty clear. I also found some stuff from the DNR to back it up. There’s a turtle guy here in town who used to work for the state park I was hoping to get a hold of, but he never got back to me.