{"id":28897,"date":"2024-06-03T12:50:56","date_gmt":"2024-06-03T16:50:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/?p=28897"},"modified":"2026-04-24T15:36:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T19:36:37","slug":"turtle-traffic-save-turtles-from-roads-my-dnr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/turtle-traffic-save-turtles-from-roads-my-dnr\/","title":{"rendered":"Turtle Traffic: Save Turtles From Roads &#8211; My DNR"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.in.gov\/dnr\/communications\/mydnr-email-newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MyDNR<\/a> &#8211; <em>Indiana&#8217;s Outdoor Newsletter<\/em>, Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR): This summer, you may see turtles crossing roadways to find places to nest. Here\u2019s how you can safely lend a helping hand:<\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li>Do not remove turtles from the area. They will want to return to their home range, even if it means spending the rest of their life trying. If it is safe to do so, you can move turtles off the roadway in the same direction in which they were already heading. Move them by grasping the back of the top shell.<\/li>\n<li>If you see a snapping turtle trying to cross the road, be aware that grabbing a snapping turtle\u2019s tail can damage its spine. To keep yourself and the snapping turtle safe, hold it by the top back of its shell and leverage it upward.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-28936 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/image-of-turtle-200x200.png\" alt=\"a turtle in the forest\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Moreover, turtles as pets are challenging and costly due to their long lifespans, specialized care needs, and potential health risks. Different species require specific diets, habitats, and environmental conditions to thrive. Releasing pet turtles into the wild is harmful to both the turtles and native populations due to disease transmission and ecological disruptions. Although some regulations allow for pet turtle ownership, it&#8217;s essential to prioritize conservation efforts and responsible pet care practices. We must protect both captive and wild turtle populations.<\/p>\n<p>To learn more about turtles, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.in.gov\/dnr\/fish-and-wildlife\/nongame-and-endangered-wildlife\/turtles-as-pets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DNR: Turtles as Pets<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>To subscribe to the newsletter visit <a title=\"\u200c\" href=\"https:\/\/www.in.gov\/dnr\/communications\/mydnr-email-newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer ugc\">MyDNR Email Newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Resources<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/edustore.purdue.edu\/item.asp?Item_Number=FNR-243\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Turtles of Indiana<\/a>, The Education Store<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/edustore.purdue.edu\/item.asp?Item_Number=FNR-478-W\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Appreciating Reptiles and Amphibians in Nature<\/a>, The Education Store<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/edustore.purdue.edu\/item.asp?Item_Number=FNR-480-W\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forestry Management for Reptiles and Amphibians: A Technical Guide for the Midwest<\/a>, The Education Store<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/edustore.purdue.edu\/item.asp?Item_Number=FNR-430-W\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Nature of Teaching, Unit 3: Reptiles, Amphibians, and the Scientific Method<\/a>, The Education Store<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/parcplace.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC)<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLgoGnq-fak7XTwtV_1BLQt24xhCbMpm6W\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ask An Expert<\/a>, Purdue Extension &#8211; FNR Playlist<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Indiana Department of Natural Resources\" href=\"https:\/\/www.in.gov\/dnr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Indiana Department of Natural Resources<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MyDNR &#8211; Indiana&#8217;s Outdoor Newsletter, Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR): This summer, you may see turtles crossing roadways to find places to nest. Here\u2019s how you can safely lend a helping hand: Do not remove turtles from the area. They will want to return to their home range, even if it means spending the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,54],"tags":[566,792,72],"class_list":["post-28897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-howto","category-wildlife","tag-forests","tag-turtles","tag-wildlife","audience-for-enthusiasts","audience-for-homeowners","audience-for-landowners","audience-for-professionals"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28897"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29052,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28897\/revisions\/29052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}