Peanut the turtle. Photo: John Miller / Missouri Department of Conservation.
Recently, Don devoted one of his South County Times columns to Missouri’s turtles. In “Please, Brake For Turtles!” he described incidents of “turtle highway carnage” and the sometimes “deadly” consequences of plastic pollution.
The Missouri Department of Conservation saved Peanut the turtle after she got caught in a six-pack plastic holder. Peanut’s shell grew in a deformed shape around the plastic debris. She is shaped like a figure eight.
Peanut, who resides at the Powder Valley Nature Center in Kirkwood, serves as a reminder that not disposing of our trash properly can have severe and unintended consequences.
In this week’s “Behind The Editor’s Curtain,” Don describes why he chose the turtle topic. The featured guest is Dan Zarlenga from the Missouri Department of Conservation.
To read Don’s column “Please, Brake For Turtles!” click HERE.
Visit Don Corrigan’s Facebook page if you would like to hear additional audio from Dan Zarlenga. He explains what to do in case you encounter a turtle trying to cross the road.
Environmental Echo 