Kids & Family

Turtle Crushed by Car, But Vet Saves 56 Babies

The turtle didn't make it, but its 56 babies still have a chance at life.

Woodbridge Animal Control picked the snapping turtle up after it had been hit by a car in town. Nearly half the shell had been shattered, but the turtle was still alive.

That's where Jim Micinilio comes in, and when the story takes a twist that is simultaneously sad and uplifting.

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Given the severity of the damage to the shell, Micinilio, a co-owner of Countryside Veterinarian Hospital in Shelton, had to put the turtle down. But not before he noticed the turtle was pregnant.

So the Stratford resident carefully extracted the eggs — 56 in total — and saved them. They're now incubating, and in less than a week he'll be able to tell if they're fertile.

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If they are, he'll keep them safe until they hatch, usually in about two to three months, and then release the baby turtles near where the mother was found in Woodbridge.

“I’ve done this many times before," Micinilio says. "It’s kind of rewarding."

"Unfortunately the mother dies, but you can at least raise these little ones and put ‘em back in the wild.”

Snapping turtles are common in our area, and it's this time of year when the mothers look for a nest for their eggs. That journey often involves walking across roadways.  

As a result, Micinilio says, “This is unfortunately a common occurrence.”


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