So, this weekend I saw something rare and awesome. As with most UFO sightings and other unbelievable incidents, I didn't have a camera or phone on me, and thus didn't get any pictures of the event. While walking through the Boy Scout's Camp Bunn on a trail lined with hickory shells, I saw a shell that looked different. It was a baby BOX turtle's shell, complete with living turtle. I misidentified it at the time as a baby snapping turtle. I then promptly put the turtle by the water's edge, something I should not have done. What I should have done is put the poor turtle off to the side of the path instead of take him to the wrong environment.
Box turtles, for the uninformed, live on land, and not in ponds. They can live to be over a hundred years old. An excellent place to see them is Lincoln Memorial Garden's visitor's center.
The real problem with what I did is that I left the turtle on the open shoreline of the lake, making it much harder for him (or her) to avoid predators. Thus, if you ever encounter some form of wildlife and decide to move it for whatever reason, I recommend putting it as close to the spot where you found it as would be safe for you and it.
I don't necessarily recommend trying to grab any wild animal you see. They won't react well, and it may cause them undue stress. Stress is a chemical response that animals and even plants have, not just an emotional state. It can cause health problems in both humans and other organisms, so stressing the poor turtle probably didn't help it. Then again, it came about six inches away from being stepped on, so that didn't help it either. That's why I picked it up and moved it in the first place.
nice
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