'A bit too snappy': Pinellas County deputies save snapping turtle crossing the road
The reptile was first noticed by road workers in the area of Feather Sound Drive.
Author: Bryce Johnson ABC Action News
Published: 8:57 PM EDT August 12, 2024
Updated: 8:57 PM EDT August 12, 2024
PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Don't get snappy with this one.
Road workers in Pinellas County came across an unlikely visitor during their shift when they found a snapping turtle making its way down Feather Sound Drive.
In a post on Facebook from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, deputies can be seen wrapping the reptile with a trapper pole to escort the "feisty critter" off the road.
The agency says when the road workers approached the snapping turtle, it did what it does best and snapped back at them, "clearly unimpressed with the speed of their work, as they often hear from members of the public," the sheriff's office wrote in the post.
"Safety first, even for shell-bound roadwork critics!"
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) says it prohibits taking or possessing snapping turtles from the wild. Other turtles prohibited from being taken include alligator snapping turtles, Barbour's map turtles, cooters, Suwannee cooters, Escambia map turtles and striped mud turtles.
"No one may sell turtles taken from the wild in Florida. In addition, no one may buy, sell, or possess for sale alligator snapping turtles, Barbour's map turtles, Suwannee cooters or parts thereof," FWC says on its website.
