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urtle SHELL INJURED TURTLES: Turtle S.H.E.L.L. is up and running... or better, walking. We do indeed take in injured animals and attempt to repair and rehabilitate them and we depend largely upon the general public to bring them to us. There are however, a couple of points to be taken into account. This (2003) is our first year of operation of the rehab centre in Rockland. We have had limited training by experts and are fortunate to have ongoing support, training and encouragement from local veterinarians, notably Dr. Mary Ellen Dunning of the Cumberland Animal Hospital. SHELL members feel confident that they can successfully repair lightly injured turtles but to date we have had little success with those who have suffered internal injuries or head trauma. We will improve as time passes and hope to be better able to judge which cases can be saved and which must be euthanized. This brings up the second point... IF YOU ARE GOING TO BRING US A TURTLE, speed and judgement are needed, not just compassion. Shell breaks across the width of the carapace may have severed the spinal cord (do the back legs move?), broken jaws or any but the most minor head wounds, blood from the mouth or signs of difficulty breathing can indicate a case we cannot save. Snappers are highly compressible so if a car runs over one the turtle may appear merely stunned when in fact the organs such as lungs are punctured. Not good. Do not bother to drive 70 miles each way to bring us a turtle that common sense says will be dead before morning. It is heart rending to have to kill an already injured animal, but in case of really smashed ones, that's the answer. Speed is essential, just as it is with injured humans. We fully understand that everyone has commitments and it is asking a lot for someone to drive long distances to our facility but if you cannot do it VERY soon after the accident it may well be useless. Keeping an animal overnight before care is given just doesn't work in many cases. Put it in a cardboard or plastic box, DON'T put it in water and get it to us within hours of the accident if you possibly can. Hey, we may actually save this one.
Turtle S.H.E.L.L. Tortue
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