Some things just get to me.
There are so many animals killed each year based upon only thing, the ignorance of man. If you've seen some of my posts, you know that I really enjoy the creatures of this world and seem to find a lot of them in the wild. Many that I have shared about happen to be snakes and turtles.
HANDLING WILD ANIMALS
I am comfortable handling and interacting with these creatures, even to the point that I'll grab a 50# snapping turtle by the throat. My purpose in this is not to harm the creature, but just to safely control it if I need to move or relocate one.
Many creatures that I have relocated would have otherwise been killed if I had not been there. Here is a video where I got a call from my neighbors about a rattlesnake. A few years ago, before I moved into the are, this snake would have been a goner.
I like being able to step in during situations like that and not only keep them safe from a creature that they fear, but also to keep the creature safe from the people who fear it.
AN UNFORTUNATE DEATH
A few months ago, I returned to Wisconsin with my family and spent some time enjoying some of the areas that I frequented up there. One such place was an area where I used to find a lot of turtles, snakes, frogs, toads, and salamanders. I took my oldest son, Monster Truck the Pepper, along for the adventure.
We like enjoying time like this together, and were off for a real adventure. I'm trying to edit some video so that I can share more about with you soon, but for now I'll just share the unfortunate thing that we found.
POOR SNAPPER
What we found was the shell of a snapping turtle. To have just a shell left, the turtle had to die.
While this turtle could have died naturally, the majority of dead snapping turtles that I find in the wild appear to have been killed my humans. It is most unfortunate, but this is not uncommon. Much like with snakes, many people lack an understanding about these wild creatures, which too often leads to an unrealistic fear of them.
Isn't it interesting that when some people fear that an animal may be dangerous or capable of hurting someone, they hurt or kill it instead?
BAD SITUATION - BUT A NEAT SHELL
In typical @papa-pepper style, I used this situation as an educational and instructional opportunity with my boy. I can't imagine him ever finding one of these incredible creatures in the wild and choosing to bash its head in, but I might as well make sure he knows full well that I believe such activity is wrong.
I took the shell home to let it dry, and soon the scutes fell off leaving behind the incredibly created bone structure beneath. With some clearcoat and careful handling, shells like these can be preserved and last for years to come. It'll be a chance for me to show others what lies beneath the surface of the Snapping Turtle's shell without having to dissect one.
As always, I'm @papa-pepper and here's the proof:
proof-of-shell
Until next time…
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