Hwy Q from Middleton heading to Waunakee: Just about dusk. I see a HUGE turtle on the side of the road. I watch him as my car approaches the stoplights just beyond, praying that he has already crossed the road and will not attempt to cross the four lanes of traffic to get to the other side. To my dismay, I see him in the rearview mirror start to head into the first of 4 lanes of traffic. The light turns green, no one else is around... so I put my car in reverse and pull off the side of the road. Once I'm up to the turtle, I see that not only is he a HUGE snapping turtle, but he is watching me like a hawk, turning his body to follow my every move. Who do I call? My dad. What does he tell me? In order to move a snapping turtle you need to pick him up by the tail. THE TAIL?! Are you kidding me? I tried, with fear showing in my facial expressions and actions. I thought I firmly had the tail, but the giant moved around, almost lunging at me and pulled its tail in- giving me a nice gouge on my finger. At this time a police officer happened to be driving along and spotted me. He turned around to see what the problem was. When he saw the turtle and heard the advice about moving it by its tail, he said a few choice words and said there was no way he was touching that animal. I told him I wouldn't leave until the turtle was on the other side of the road, and told him not to worry about me. I went to my car and emptied out my box of outdoor equipment (rollerblades, frisbee, basketball, volleyball, glove, softball, etc- you never know when you'll need those things) and the cop went to his car and came back with an ice scrapper (in the middle of summer). He used the scraper to force the turtle to go into the box. Eventually the turtle was contained and the officer carried it across four lanes of traffic and into the tall grasses on the other side. He maintained a good distance from the box as he released the turtle. When he handed me my box I thanked him. He again said a few choice words and we both went on our way. My mood: Happy.
On Century Avenue, heading home after a number of disappointments, just about dusk, I came across the biggest raccoon I had ever seen in the middle of the road. It had been hit. I stopped my car, put on my flashers and approached the animal. It was on its back and was breathing heavily as it moved its feet in the air trying to move. I looked around and found myself alone on the typically busy road. I called my nearby friend with a truck who might run it over to put it out of its misery, but there was no answer. I looked at the raccoon and started balling right there in the middle of the road. I went to the back seat of my car and pulled out a plastic grocery bag. Using the bag to protect my hands, I began to haul the raccoon over to the side of the road, crying the entire way, apologizing to it for its predicament. Once safe on the side of the road, I watched it gasp a few more times, and then breathe his last breath and become still. My mood: Complete and Utter Misery. I went right home and cried myself to sleep.
On Gammon Road, early morning, heading to school (last week), I noticed a group of birds circling above the road in an unusual manner. As I got closer, I saw something white in the road. I figured it was a bird that had been hit. It was. Only, this bird was still sitting upright and looking around, but it couldn't move. I turned into the first possible place, keeping my eye on the bird and the cars that were hopefully missing it, quickly parked, and flew into the street. Thankfully the bird hadn't been hit again and I scooped her up and took her back to my car. A driver passing me gave me a funny look. I looked at the large (and surprisingly beautiful) seagull in my hands and wondered what I was going to do with it. I looked up at the crows waiting in the trees and told them, "NOT TODAY, CROWS!" Knowing I didn't have a box of sporting equipment in my car anymore, I did what any normal animal lover would do: I carefully set the seagull on the passenger seat next to me. With my foot shaking on the gas pedal, and my right hand petting the bird, telling it that it would be okay, I headed to school. Long story short, Animal Control came to pick up the bird. Having a very negative image of Animal Control in my mind, I was pleasantly surprised with how friendly the woman was who came to get my seagull. She was very optimistic about the bird and would be taking it to the Emergency Animal Hospital to be checked out. I'm pretty sure its leg was broken and it appeared to have an injury possibly from a pecking crow. I told my class it was our Thankful Seagull since it was the day before Thanksgiving. At the end of it all, my mood was: VERY HAPPY!With plenty more stories to share, I'll leave you with my mother's advice to me over this Thanksgiving's visit. She said it would be wise to always have an animal crate and gloves in my car. And since my compassion for animals will never end, I think I'll take her up on that idea. Time to go to craigslist and find an animal crate.
Just for fun, here are two other pictures of "animal rescue" opportunities that I have had. I wish I had photos to go with them all.
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| My first litter of coons to rehab & release. |
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| A partially blind dog I found stopping traffic in the middle of Hwy 78. She hung out with me for several hours before anyone claimed her. |
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