Turtles, waking up from hibernation to lay eggs, meeting death on Long Island roads

A record number of turtles are dying on Long Island as they wake from hibernation and cross roads to lay their eggs, only to be hit by motorists, wildlife experts say.

Karen Testa, of Turtle Rescue of the Hamptons in Jamesport, said 36 turtles were killed in a single week on Long Island after being struck by cars. 

“Turtles are just waking up from six months of hibernation right now,” she said. “But once they’re on the move, they’re being hit by cars, many with their eggs exposed.”

The number of deaths makes it the worst year the rescue has seen since it opened in 2012, Testa said. Last year, the rescue reported about 18.

Many turtles have been crossing roadways to lay their eggs in the same spot they do every year, she said, usually near wetlands. During this time, landscapers also must watch for them, as several have been injured by lawn mowers and weed wackers.

“They live on your property. We share the roads with them,” Testa said. “They don't understand that the road is a highway. They think that’s just the way they walk.”

The rescue treats all 11 native New York turtle species, including eastern box turtles, a species labeled “special concern” by conservationists. Since January, Turtle Rescue has been caring for 53 additional turtles with hopes to release them.

Janine Bendicksen, director of wildlife rehabilitation at Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown, said she has also seen a spike of turtle deaths.

Since January, the center has cared for 15 turtles struck by cars. Only one will survive; the rest either succumbed to their injuries or had to be euthanized, she said.

The center recently found a female that had been fatally hit by a car but managed to save its 45 eggs.

In the wild, only a small number of those eggs would survive, and female turtles don’t lay eggs until they are about 15 years old.

“You just feel like crying, because you know the journey that they've taken to get to that age,” Bendicksen said.

Testa said in the past six months she and elected officials have put up signs in areas where turtles are known to lay eggs — in the towns of Babylon, Southampton, Riverhead and East Hampton — making drivers aware that turtles may be crossing there.

“I think that people are just not aware of the possibility of turtles being in the road,” Bendicksen said.

Turtles can live up to four days after they are injured, so if you see one, don’t assume it’s dead, she said, urging people to call a rescue hotline.