The dramatic rescue of Hector and his siblings is a story for all ages. Steve Weir and his crack team of turtle-midwives braved the heat and the traffic (and a few uncharitable eyes) to keep these eggs safe. In the end though, it was Steve who took the final risk and dug the young free when they failed to emerge. I thought you’d want to read the account in his own words:
We opened the nest last Tuesday (it was covered with a thick, adobe clay brick type cap. I found an empty shell inside and thought the eggs had rotted. Then I noticed a dirt covered baby turtle, I thought it was dead. It moved when I touched it and so I took it to the creek and off it took! Of the 15 eggs laid, I released 11 that morning. Two more had just hatched, but had extensive egg pouches attached and so I took them to my office and placed them in a dish of creek water. Two more were left in the nest, covered up.
It was just dumb luck that I decided to check on the nest, I am convinced that they youngsters could not have dug themselves out.
Dumb Luck? I don’t know. I guess in the sense that the beavers were “lucky” not to be killed, and the city was “lucky” that people explained why they should be taken care of. Maybe whenever animals are saved by human compassion and stewardship it’s a kind of luck.
I would never call it “dumb” though. I’m pretty sure that taking care of the wild things near our tame spaces is one of the smartest things people can do.
Turns out Mr. Weir worked with the Lindsay museum in his younger days, was involved with the raptor release program and even played a grandparent role with Sioux, the mountain lion. I’m thinking that Mrs. Turtle couldn’t have picked a better place to lay her eggs, unless it was inside his office. Come to think of it, didn’t the PWA hydrology report on the dam mention a Weir? Hmm, must have known that the county recorder’s support of wildlife could represent an obstacle.
Sliders today, western pond turtles and salmon tomorrow!
