Pennsylvania reminds everyone not to take turtles home

Mac Bell
·2 min read

(WHTM) — Today is World Turtle Day, and in ‘shellebration’ of this special day, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission shared a few things to keep in mind if you happen to see a turtle out in the wild.

World Turtle Day falls on May 23 and it was created in the year 2000 as a yearly observance to help people celebrate and protect turtles and tortoises, as well as their disappearing habitats around the globe, according to WorldTurtleDay.org.

According to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, here in Pennsylvania, there are 14 different species and subspecies of turtles. Turtles are our oldest living reptiles and have gone unchanged for the approximately 200 million years that they have existed.

To see all the different species of turtles here in the Commonwealth, you can click here.

Earlier today, the commission shared on Facebook some reminders for Pennsylvanians to keep in mind if they come across a turtle in the wild:

  • Do NOT take a turtle home if you see one in the wild! Wild turtles are protected by law and are illegal to possess in Pennsylvania and many other states.

  • Turtles grow slowly and need time to mature – infact, they may live 40 to 80 years but could only have one surviving young.

  • Taking turtles home can result in a decline of the local population.

Now you may be wondering “What if I see a turtle on the road?” If you see a turtle on the road you can still move it to safety! You can click here to watch a video on how to move our slow-moving friends from the roadway in the direction they’re traveling.

It is important to note that Pennsylvania’s turtle species are usually on the move in late spring and early summer while females are on the hunt for places to lay their eggs.

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