Posted on 12/30/2012 9:17:31 AM PST by ZULU
CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson University student Nathan Weaver just wanted to put together a project to help figure out the best way to assist turtles in crossing the road. But he also ended up with a peek into the dark souls of some human beings.
Read more here: http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/12/27/4507782/clemson-students-turtle-project.html#storylink=cpy
(Excerpt) Read more at heraldonline.com ...
Last fall there was a large land turtle crossing the County Road between Montpelier and our house. The car ahead of me stopped, and we waited for it to finish crossing. My wife and two of my children told me later that day that they also encountered the turtle crossing the road. Apparently, it went back and forth across the road all day, maybe hauling back food for its winter store or something.
Anyway, everybody stopped for it. No squashed turtle.
If we can do it safely, so do we. Last Summer, my husband tried to assist a Maryland Terrapin across the road. I am telling you this turtle was the meanest thing! Hissed, snapped and just raised quite the ruckus. When my husband finally got it into some tall grass (a marsh), the turtle turned around, hissed one more time and went on his merry way. No wonder U of Md has it as a mascot... they are quite attitudinal. LOL!
I do also if the traffic permits it. This is another example of power or actually perceived power. People are feeling more and more powerless in their daily lives and killing a small creature shows the animal who is boss. It’s not just turtles either. How can someone run over a raccoon or opossum in a 25 or 30 mile speed zone? I can understand on a major highway but in residential communities there is no excuse for not steering around it.
even in today's more enlightened, modern world, sometimes humans feel a need to prove they are the dominant species on this planet
I can't believe this is allegedly an AP news story and not an editorial the way it is written.
I drive like they are democrats headed across the road for 0bama phones and free birth control.
I’ve pulled off the road to move turtles. I don’t understand how anyone could deliberately want to hit something. I had a bird once fly in front of my car window, hit the front and plop dead on the hood. I pulled off the road, saw the little guy was a goner and cried. Took about ten minutes before I was ok enough to get back in the car and drive home.
I like the comment with the idea of making foam rubber turtle replicas with big metal spikes in them and positioning them so a driver has to go out of the way to hit them.
why would anyone be surprised by this...if we can murder millions of innocent babies why wouldn’t we try to mow down turtles?
seriously lets get our priorities straight here... while we should treat all of God’s creatures humanely our thoughts should first be on how we treat our fellow man.
I completely agree. And for the record, I have never hit a turtle. I have unintentionally hit a few animals, squirrels and deer mostly; even though I was going less than 30 mph in some instances.
Last summer I was driving out to our farm with my nephew following with his two small sons to go fishing. I hit a squirrel. I mean it went flying. I later asked my nephew whether his sons had seen it and fortunately they had not. One of my sons has a bumper sticker that reads, “Squirrels, nature’s little speed bumps.” But he’s a kind soul and would never intentionally harm an animal. One other story regarding turtles, always take them across in the direction they are going or they will simply turn around and cross the road again. And yes, snappers which in Kansas can grow to ten or twelve pounds, are mean critters and can take off your finger.
Wouldn’t a hard shell animal damage the car/paint? Doesn’t make sense.
Sounds like a case for government intervention. /s
Repulsive.
I go out of my way to steer my car at crows feeding on roadkill, but it mostly a form of mutual amusement...I know I am never going to hit the crow, and the crow knows he is never going to let himself get hit.
He contemptuously hops out of the way, and by the time the roadkill appears in my rearview mirror again, his beak is buried deep.
I avoid hitting anything as long as I can do it safely without causing a traffic issue.
Are you hard of reading? It is attributed to a comment by a professor.
I hope that student realizes that if someone had an accident because of her stunt, and was injured, she’d be facing a FELONY charge.
Can you not see the paragraph break between two separate comments?
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