Hatching Snapping Turtles

[stripernut]

Was helping my father out today at his place and when I pulled in he is walking around his lawn with a small bucket... Turns out a nest of snapping turtles had hatch not that long ago and many were heading for the road... A few had not made it across (and won't be going anywhere now!)so he was collecting over 20, and put them in the pond, on his property... I am sure that the Great Blues will eat many of them, but that is better than getting flattened on a road!
Here are a few of them;

[fishbone]

cool pics

[rgfixit]

Not sure I'd put 20 snapping turtles in my pond....but....a noble effort and great pics for sure.

Rg

[stripernut]

We are pretty sure. most will not last with the hornpout, herings  and everything else out to eat them...

[Mac Attack]

We are pretty sure. most will not last with the hornpout, herings  and everything else out to eat them...

So why not have transferred them to another, larger, pond or body of water.
Maybe even a deep creek or river.

Not criticizing what you did.
I applaud your efforts for sure.
Just wondering.

Thanks.
Mac

[stripernut]

Dad wants turtles in his pond...

[dirtydeeds]

Cool pic. Looks like the two in the first pic are sumo wrestling.

[Raquettedacker]

Cool pic. Looks like the two in the first pic are sumo wrestling.

   There hugging good by cus they know they will  never see each other again..   

[ICEHOLE]

When I was young I witnesses a big snapper laying eggs in a busy dirt parking lot and I decided to relocate them to my back yard. Made a little sand pit, and a screened encloser to keep critters from digging them up. Before long a had a bunch of baby turtles that I brought back to the pond the mom came out of. Was really exciting for me as a kid. Good work

[bogtrotter]

Cool!

[taxid]

I found one of those run over in the driveway the other day. Cute little devils.

In my area it's illegal to transfer them due to concerns of spreading disease to other turtles.  I'm skeptical of that thinking as they are all in the same watershed. If I were to hypothetically relocate a large snapper from my pond to the local river, he would be going to the same place he probably originated. Makes no sense to me. I'd rather do that than kill the animal.

[stripernut]

I would not be surprised if it is illegal in MA... We only moved them about 25 yards...

[Mac Attack]

Dad wants turtles in his pond...

Explains it.

thanks!

[taxid]

I would not be surprised if it is illegal in MA... We only moved them about 25 yards...

I thought everything was illegal in Massachusetts. 

At least when I lived there, there seemed to be lots of regulations.

[dirtydeeds]

   There hugging good by cus they know they will  never see each other again..   

good bye, this is it brother...ha