Got a call from a birder today who said she ran into a couple who were releasing an Eastern Box Turtle in the Celery Farm.  They had rescued it when it was crossing a road in Pearl River.

While the people meant well, turtles should never be transported anywhere and released because, as the Think Turtle Conservation Initiative website advises:

"We love that folks care about the turtles but when it comes to moving turtles it is important to not move turtles any further than across the road and a safe distance away from the road in the direction the turtle was headed.

"Relocating a turtle to a wetlands 10 km from where the turtle was situated or to a friend's pond without meaning to can turn a turtle's world upside down. Turtles are creatures of habit and do not cope well with being relocated.

"A turtle that has been relocated will be stressed and at such a disadvantage in a new environment. They have to find food and water and negotiate their way in an unfamiliar territory. Turtles unable to find their way home may stop eating, fall ill and even die."