Keep an eye out for Ontario's turtles, who are hitting the road for mating season
Love is in the air for Ontario's turtle population and a group called the Turtle Guardians says they've been busy dealing with the influx.
They're hoping residents will keep an eye out if you're driving on area roads in the next little bit.
The group has been fielding about 120 calls a day from nesting grounds near the road in both cottage country and in Sudbury.
"They are interlinked with this Earth – and so it was a wet and wild June and that was a signal to all the females, all the moms to get out and go nest," said Leora Berman of the Turtle Guardians.
Berman figures each of the turtles will cross the road about 12 times a year, but many are hurt or killed by passing cars in the process.
And he said a busy population doesn't exactly mean a healthy population; turtles are a threatened species in Ontario.
"In southern Ontario, there are portions where we have lost 90 per cent of our wetlands, all the way up to cottage country, we have lost a significant portion of our wetlands and hibernation," Berman said.
"The vast majority of turtles that come in (are) hit by vehicles – that's the most common scenario by far," said Turtle Pond Wildlife Centre's Gloria Morissette.
Morissette has one 41-pound snapping turtle they rescued from Lake Laurentian who's currently battling an eye ailment.
If you have to rescue a turtle, Morissette said it's important that you do it safely and don't change the direction the turtle is heading.
"That doesn't mean that there's a wetland in front of them," she said.
"People shouldn't assume that they're going the wrong way and try to switch them to where the water is because where they try to find next sites is often away from water sources and they'll travel kilometres to try and find and appropriate nest site."
Morissette said it's also been a busy time for bunnies. She's asking people to leave baby rabbits alone because they have not been abandoned by their mothers.
Her centre is now the only one left in the region. After it fills up, the next closest is Parry Sound.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.