Found this little guy at N Campbell and W Webster during lunch today. Can't say I've ever seen one this close to downtown before. Is there an active population or was it just visiting?

I've found one nearby the Kraft factory last autumn. Don't know how he navigated all those roads to get there.

Walkin' slow and lookin' pretty

Looks to be a snashed turtle 😖

Nope, he was very much alive. I moved it out by Ritter Springs park to hopefully avoid that fate. Watching two cars drive over it before I could stop was stressful.

I've rescued a few I hope they're all o.k.

As long as it's safe to do so, I always try to at least get them across the road. Something about turtle just fascinates me. Doesn't matter the type or size.

Found him in my yard!! Glad he’s still okay

It could live in one of the parks near by and wondered into the road. Fasnight park isn't terribly far from there. I've seen big ass ground hogs down town but never a turtle

If you relocate a turtle, try and do it in less than a one square mile area. There is reason to believe turtles have a mechanism, perhaps magnetic field detection, to know how to traverse their individual range…which based on tagging is largely an area of a couple miles square. It is believed that if a turtle is moved from its home area, the turtle can become “lost” in effect. This is a prime time for turtles who are both trying to stay warm and find a safe spot to burrow underground for the upcoming winter.

Not faulting OP for moving it quite a ways away, seems like the logical solution to most people…but it’s actually just best to help it keep going whatever direction it’s headed but out of immediate danger like cars…even it’s just a nearby yard. If you happen to know a woods or clearing a -few- blocks away that’s ok.

Box turtle, living in the city

I had one on my road and moved him across. He thanked me by peeing all over me.

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These crafty and dedicated shits will go anywhere. We are very low on rain and they'll keep searching.

That’s $100 on OF so you must be special

Shoot, you’d be surprised what shows up. I saw a deer at Sunset and National once. Don’t know how it got that far into town. I also took out a nice buck over by The Library Center one time - he came running right across Campbell and hit me, but at least there’s some wooded areas nearby and it’s closer to the edge of town there.

We may not see them, but there’s all sorts of wildlife around.

Was the little terrapin missing part of one of his front feet?

Not that I could see. Nails were all nice and long.

There are a lot of turtles in the city. My parents live a few blocks from there near Campbell and Lynn and had one who lived in their yard for about twenty years. Like someone else said, right now water is scarce so animals are roaming more. I appreciate that you were trying to keep him safe but animals tend to have mates and territories so it maybe best to get them across the road and leave it at that.

My folks once saw a pair of deer walking down the middle of Lynn. I live near Cooper Park and we used to get a lot of foxes and coyotes. And turtles and rabbits of course. We live in an urban forest, particularly in the older sections of town. No joke, I once had an injured red-tailed hawk flutter in through my patio door to hide in my house. Animal Control came out at midnight and we got him to the zoo for rehab, though he unfortunately had been too hurt and was put down.

True story, years ago some neighbors had a pet African tortoise run away and the posters had detailed pics and description. I would've assumed that any 3 ft turtle nearby was the right one.

It's a jungle out there.

I've seen a deer downtown running around freaking out once. Probably eventually got hit by a car or something I imagine.

There’s a whole herd of them, some turkeys, and at least a couple of foxes that live in the woods off the greenway trail there. Always fun to see nature in the middle of town!

Out there living his best life

They do that. Gotta point it away from you while you move it.

Buddy

Well, shit. Good to know for next time. I'd always been told get them to a better habitat so they don't get runover if they pop up in a place you wouldn't normally see them. My bad.

I found one crossing Grand at South ave and it was about 15 inches across, the thing was massive!!! I picked him up and helped him or her safely cross the road. We have box turtles all over Springfield but they aren't usually out much at this time of the year, maybe he escaped captivity! Run little guy! Lol

I always stop, pick the poor thing up and get it out of the Road in the direction it was heading.

I mostly see them on Farm roads out in Brookline.

Hell I’ll record it next time

First they just scope it out, you know to judge the acceptance. Then property values slowly drop, and crime goes up. Where those values change, so does the box turtle population. You need to take your community back. We can’t have these things destroying our community. We need to keep to our own kind… tell it to take its box and keep walking. Slowly.