After three junior members of the Waynesboro First Aid Crew returned from a call early Sunday morning, they set their sights on a different kind of rescue mission.
Heavy rains had swept a collection of baby snapping turtles into the agency’s flooded parking lot.
“The three of them spent two hours in the pouring rain and mud collecting the little turtles,” said Susan Sweet, director of the crew. “They were so tiny, probably less than two inches from the tips of their noses to the tips of their tails. Some didn’t even have their eyes open.”
The agency called the Wildlife Center of Virginia’s emergency line at about 3 a.m. and were advised to keep the turtles, 29 total, in a box lined with damp paper towels. A crew member delivered them to the center when it opened at 8 a.m.
“They were very easy cases for us,” said Amanda Nicholson, director of outreach for the center. “The veterinarian on duty examined them and they were all healthy.”
The tiny turtles were housed in a large tub with a shallow pool of water and fed insects for several days until the heavy rains subsided.
The turtles were released into the South River on Tuesday.
“They all swam into the water and quickly burrowed into the mud,” said Nicholson. “That’s exactly what they should be doing at this life stage, hiding and staying out of the way of predators.”
Tara Morrison, junior crew president, who rescued the turtles along with fellow crew members Shannon Cain and Ryan Southern, said she was happy to see the turtles “given a second chance at life.”
“Saving them was a natural instinct for us,” she said. “We help anybody that shows up at our doorstep so why should a turtle be any different? They chose the perfect place to get help.”
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