University of Montana biologist urges people to leave wildlife where they are

MILLTOWN — Why did the turtle climb the hill?
The answer apparently eludes many well-intentioned people who keep picking up western painted turtles and putting them back in ponds or rivers.
What they don’t realize, according to University of Montana wildlife biology assistant professor Erim Gomez, is that the move actually sets back turtle survival.
Gomez and his students had been combing Milltown State Park researching frog and salamander reproduction when they came across a fresh nest of turtle eggs on a little hilltop. Soon afterward, they met another park visitor who said they’d just “rescued” a turtle that couldn’t find the water.

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