It started with a few turtles by the road, then the count blew past 100.
In Cranford, New Jersey, neighbors and local authorities launched a rescue effort after more than 100 box turtles were spotted heading toward traffic near the Rahway River, according to WABC.
The turtles were first seen around Riverside Drive and Casino Avenue, where residents watched them move through the neighborhood and into the roadway, the station reported.
Authorities initially thought the reptiles might be snapping turtles pushed out by recent rain. People in the area later identified them as box turtles.
Angela Cichoski, a resident known as “the animal rescuer in the neighborhood,” told WABC how quickly the situation escalated.
“I get a text from another neighbor saying that there’s about 50 turtles down the block, so we all go racing down, and there were literally over 100 turtles just walking into the road,” she said.
As more residents saw what was happening, neighbors worked to keep the animals away from the street and watched traffic, according to the station.
Twelve-year-old Henning Schmidt also joined the effort after hearing about the turtles and going to the river area to search for them.
“I didn’t think I was actually going to find any, but then I found three,” Schmidt told WABC.
WABC reported that box turtles are not native to New Jersey, and authorities are examining if the animals were left there after involvement in wildlife trafficking.
If that is the case, the turtles were abandoned in an environment they may not be able to survive in and placed directly in the path of traffic.
“People think turtles are slow until you’re trying to catch 100 of them from running into the road,” Cichoski told WABC. “They’re quicker than you think.”
The Cranford health department is telling anyone who finds a box turtle to bring it to the Cranford Fire Department, WABC reported.
Cichoski also urged people to be careful when handling them.
“I would just say if you see any turtles, you know, put gloves on, put them in a box and just walk them over to the Cranford fire station between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. and just wash your hands,” she advised, according to the network.
Read more from The Cool Down.
