See Turtle

I haven't been able to go to Nakatajima on Thursdays so far this year. The weather had stayed pretty cool way into Spring, and even if we did have nice weather it was never on a Thursday. But last Thursday was different. Finally some nice weather! And after my lousy week I needed it. So there I was shortly before having to get back for my last class, walking along the surf, when I spotted the tiniest little baby turtle. I thought it was kinda early for baby turtles, but what do I know? So I walked over and picked it up, looked at it's tiny little face and then returned to the spot I found it. I continued down the beach when it dawned on me that that wasn't a sea turtle. At least I don't think so. So I turned around to look for it. And it was still there. So I picked it up to look at it again. It definitely had claw feet and now flippers. It looked alot like those pet turtles we all had when we were kids, but I don't know much about turtles. But I was pretty sure this was a fresh water turtle, and it would die in the ocean. So I picked it up and set off for the Nature Center. The guy there had sufficient English to confirm my hunch that this was a pet turtle that someone decided they didn't want after all and abandoned it at the ocean. Once again, I am amazed at the stupidity and callousness of the human species. Am I particularly brilliant in knowing that something that lives in fresh water cannot live in salt water? The Nature Center guy didn't want anything to do with it, and confirmed that it was a Mississippi Red Eared Slider, but said that it was a Japanese turtle, and I could take him to a river. Well, 1) I had to get to class and 2) I don't think anything with Mississippi in it's name is native to Japan. So turtle and I headed to class. O'Goody helped me find something to put him in that was waterproof. The salt had already done some damage to his shell and it was starting to curl up. So I rinsed him thoroughly and kept him in the container where he would stay moist and rest his weary little bones from fighting surf. The kids would all have been happy to take him home, but as MRES really are carriers of salmonella I couldn't do that without explaining it to a child's parents which I can't do (not speaking the language and all). So I took him home and looked them up on the internet. Yes, they have been introduced into Japan and are widely spread. Yes, they are pushing out native turtles. So what was I to do? Finally I decided one more little turtle would not tip the balance, and this little guy had to be getting hungry. God only knows how long he had been out there. So I took him to the river and let him go. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, hopefully this wasn't another brick in that road.

People Suck!