Turtle rehabilitator Melissa Stevens and Danielle Suvillian, who is a wildlife rehabilitator in Southwick, are with the snappy turtle Freedom moments before she is released back into the wild.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
SOUTHWICK — It was only by fate or luck that a severely injured snapping turtle was found on a town road by a licensed wildlife rehabilitator last October.
“Danielle [Sullivan], a fellow licensed rehabilitator, found it on the road on its back,” said Melissa Stevens, a fellow licensed rehabilitator whose specialty is helping turtles recover, usually after they have been struck by a vehicle.
The snapping turtle, eventually named Freedom, was huge, weighing in at 24 pounds, said Stevens, who rehabilitates turtles under the name My Little Turtle Rescue.
The turtle had a fractured jaw, which is not unusual for large snapping turtles struck by vehicles.
Stevens explained that when most drivers see a turtle — if they are paying attention — they will straddle it as they drive over it to avoid hitting it.
“That is a surefire way to wack the face of a turtle, especially a snapping turtle,” she said.
Stevens explained that when a vehicle starts to drive over a snapping turtle, the turtle will stand as tall as possible and throw its head up, often high enough to strike the undercarriage of the vehicle, which is what happened to Freedom.
Occasionally, when it happens, the turtle will be dragged along the road, increasing the severity of its injuries and the chance that it will die, she said.
Stevens was called by Sullivan, a Southwick resident who specializes in rehabilitating opossums and operates the nonprofit Country Critters Rehabilitation.
Once Freedom arrived at Stevens’ home in Williamsburg, she made several attempts to secure her jaw to allow it to heal.
Nothing worked, so she took Freedom to a veterinarian who could lightly sedate her while her broken jaw was wired shut.
It took her jaw nearly seven months to heal, after which Stevens and Sullivan decided to meet and release Freedom back into the wild.
They released her at one of the ponds along the edge of The Ranch Golf Club.
“We were thinking she’d slip into the water, but it was really anticlimactic. She just buried herself in the muck, which is common,” Stevens said.
Because Freedom had been spending so much time at Stevens’ home, Stevens was asked whether she had formed a bond with Freedom like one would with a pet.
“They are wild animals who will be returned to the wild. I spend as little time as possible with them,” she said.
She also offered tips to drivers who spot a turtle in the road.
Don’t drive over them; drive around them.
She said that if a driver wants to move a turtle off the road, the best way is to cover the turtle’s head with a T-shirt or towel — or “the shirt off your back” — and lift it onto the shoulder of the road in the direction the turtle was heading.
She said a driver could also use a floor mat to cover the turtle’s head and another mat to scoot the turtle onto, then gently pull it to the side of the road.
However, people should avoid one thing when moving a turtle.
“Do not grab it by its tail. It is a part of the spine, and pulling on it risks breaking it,” Stevens said.
If a driver spots a turtle on its back, she said that the driver should make sure the turtle returns to its proper position.
When a turtle is on its back, it compresses its lungs, which can cause dangerous temperature fluctuations and leaves them vulnerable to predators.
She also wanted to get the message out about the service wildlife rehabilitators provide.
“A lot of people don’t know wildlife rehabilitators exist,” she said.
If someone encounters an injured animal, they shouldn’t assume they cannot do anything.
“There is a whole network out there of people who do this. And we’re all volunteers,” she said.
Spring and fall are the busiest times of year for all wildlife. She said they are just like people who crave the sun after a long, dark winter.
“Remember, we’re not the only species on this planet,” she said.
Nearly all wildlife rehabilitators are helped by individual donations, and Sullivan and Stevens are no different.
Donations to Sullivan can be made at www.paypal.me/danielles7975 or on Venmo @Danielle-Sullivan-108.
Last year, Stevens, with considerable financial help from donors, installed a dedicated water source at her home.
“It was a game-changer. Now I’m hoping to complete the next step: installing a utility sink right where all the work happens,” she wrote on her Facebook page.
Stevens has set up a gofundme site to raise the $2,500 needed for the sink.
“If you’re able to contribute, no matter the amount, you’ll be helping create a cleaner, safer, and more efficient rehabilitation space for the turtles that depend on us,” Stevens said.
