New Canaan Police and a Wilton-based veterinary group this weekend worked together to ensure the safety of a large snapping turtle at Mead Pond that had a fishhook caught in its mouth.
This snapping turtle turned up July 8, 2017 in Richmond Hill Road with a fishhook caught in its mouth. Police, helped direct traffic around the reptile while Animal Control took it to South Wilton Veterinary, who anesthetized the animal and removed the fishhook. Animal Control then returned the turtle to Mead. Photo published with permission from its owner
At about 12:40 p.m. on Saturday, the police department’s Animal Control section received a flurry of calls regarding a large snapping turtle in the middle of Richmond Hill Road, according to Officer Diane Apicelli.
Arriving, Apicelli said she found a crowd gathering around a 33-pound snapping turtle with an 18-inch long shell. Police Officer Dave Rivera was directing motor vehicle traffic around the turtle that clearly had a fishing lure caught in its mouth, according to Apicelli, of the Animal Control section.
She crated the turtle and transported the reptile to South Wilton Veterinary Group, which “has a wonderful ‘exotic animal’ veterinarian on staff,” Apicelli said.
“The turtle was anesthetized so the hook and lure, that was down the turtle’s throat, could be removed,” she said.
The turtle slept off the meds in the New Canaan Police Department’s shelter on Saturday night and was released on Sunday morning back into the same area of Mead Park where it had been located originally, according to Apicelli.
“It walked back into the pond,” she said.
What a great story. A wildlife rescue and return. Large, mature snapping turtles are a sign of a healthy ecosystem. Another indication that the townsfolk of New Canaan appreciate the world of nature around us.