This is a Western Pond Turtle.  He was found on a fire road by Teresa and Mike Miloney of Gault.  We believe that the turtle was using the road as a wildlife corridor to get from one area to another.  Turtles move to find better food sources or to find a place to hunker down in hot or cold extremes.

The Western Pond Turtle is the only turtle native to California.  The name is a misnomer because this turtle rarely lives in ponds.  This is due to the fact that before the construction of farm ponds and reservoirs there were relatively few ponds in our state.  The turtle’s natural habitat includes streams, large rivers and other types of slow-moving water.  They are most commonly found in areas with downed trees in the water, where they go to bask in the sun and for cover.

When this turtle was found it was extremely dehydrated and was obviously the victim of a coyote or dog attack.  The plastron was loose and had numerous cracks.  The carapace had a hole from a canine tooth.  The turtle went to Madison Avenue Veterinary Clinic in Fair Oaks where Dr. Marianne Brick gave him a round of antibiotics to fight off infection and then a fiberglass/epoxy coat to strengthen the shell.  This turtle will have to stay in captivity over winter and then will be released back to the area in which it was found.