People also take turtles from the wild to keep as pets, even though the practice is now illegal in most states. One hazard of a turtle’s extremely limited home range is that a road built through a box turtle’s habitat is a road that a turtle will need to cross, especially during nesting season. “Every creature is made to withstand some forces and break under others,” Mary Laura writes in “Bomb Shelter.” “When it’s truck tires versus turtle, tires always win.”It’s odd that human beings account for almost all the reasons this species is in trouble. I was helping a turtle cross the road in a rural part of Tennessee last year when a pickup truck slowed down and all the guys in it gave me a big thumb’s up. These measures won’t keep all turtles safe, but they will keep many of them safe.

---

Persons: ” Mary Laura, ”, Mary Laura’s Frank, Debbie Sykes, I’ll, I’m, he’s, Margaret Renkl Organizations: Nashville Wildlife Conservation Center Locations: Tennessee