Enormous alligator snapping turtle rescued from drainage culvert

Something that caught a Baton Rouge, Louisiana resident’s eye led to the rescue of an enormous alligator snapping turtle. WAFB 9 News reports that Travis Lewis was outside his home when he saw what he thought was a log in a nearby canal. Lewis told the station, “So, I took a closer look and it was a big ole turtle, so I jumped up screaming and hollering for Martin to come help me.”

Lewis’ loud cries for help made his friend, Martin LeBlanc, think he was being attacked. When LeBlanc got a look at what Lewis was screaming about, he saw the huge turtle with a head the size of a football and thought, “I’m from Pierre Part. I was thinking dinner, no lie. ”

The turtle was in a predicament. "He was wedged in a culvert and one of our friends actually climbed in the culvert and pulled the turtle out. He was wedged in real tight," said LeBlanc. The group was able to free the nearly four-foot-long alligator snapping turtle 45 minutes later and knew to stay clear of the animal’s business end. "Because it latches on to you, it's not going to let go. It's almost like an alligator. Once it latches on to you, it's going to take whatever it bites with it," Lewis explained.

The men plan on releasing the turtle once they identify a spot where it can roam free. So, this big guy is safe from LeBlanc’s turtle soup pot.

Video and more info: WAFB