It’s Warming Up…Give Turtles a Brake!

Warmer weather means turtles will be out crossing Missouri roads. If you see a turtle in the road, slow down and try to safely steer around it.

Warmer weather and spring rains will bring out the turtles in the upcoming weeks. As they emerge from their burrows searching for food and mates, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) encourages motorists to give turtles crossing roads a brake.

As they search for territories of their own and for females, young male turtles make up most of the travelers. Females are also know to make their way across roadways as they are searching for nesting sites. For most turtles they will stay close to home, but some are known to travel as many as six miles.

Turtles are cold-blooded like other reptiles, so finding a nice warm spot on the asphalt feels good on cool spring days.

MDC also advises people to leave wild turtles wild. When a child takes a wild turtle and keeps it as a pet, it usually ends in a slow death for the captive turtle.