BENGALURU: A Terrapin turtle was found bleeding and with a broken shell on Mysuru-Bengaluru highway, near Bidadi recently. It was spotted lying on the side of the road by a couple travelling to Bengaluru, who were puzzled to see it stranded far from any water body.
“We stopped our vehicle for a break and my husband spotted something moving on the side of the road. We realised it was a turtle,” Hema Dinesh, a resident of BCC layout, said.
“Since the location was completely dry and not near any lake or pond, we were confused about how it had landed on a busy national highway. We were shocked to see it bleeding and bruised, which possibly happened after it was hit by a vehicle. We decided to take it to a hospital, as there was no animal clinic nearby,” she added.
The injured animal was rushed to People for Animals (PFA) Wildlife Hospital in Kengeri. According to Dr Kathik M, a veterinarian at PFA, the turtle was probably found on the road because it was washed from a lake or pond into a storm water drain (SWD).
“It had rained the day before. Unlike ages ago, lakes are now all fragmented. So when one lake overflows, the water flows into SWDs. The only outlet from it is the road, which is what might have happened with the turtle,” Karthik said, adding that the Indian Pond Terrapin live in water but come to the land to bask in the sun.
“The shells are strong. So if it was broken, it must have been because a four-wheeler ran over it. It is now better. Since it was a fresh wound, we could fix the shell with medical glue after scrubbing the wounds with antiseptic. This is necessary as sand, grime, etc get stuck inside the shell,” he explained.
An old wound would also need orthopaedic screws or wires to fix the shell. The adult male, which was also found suffering from an internal injury, bleeding in mouth and respiratory problems, will be released into an enclosure after it recovers fully. The turtle will later be released to the nearest water body from where it was found.