Imagine that you are trapped in water and no matter how hard you try you simply cannot get out. This is the situation that a large red eared slider turtle was in after she somehow found her way to the fountain at the entrance to Westover Park in League City, Texas. Normally red eared sliders spend a lot of time out of the water basking in the sun, an activity that allows them to adjust their body temperature and to maintain the health of their shells. Large mature females like this one need access to land to avoid becoming egg-bound, a potentially fatal condition.

The fountain could have been designed to trap turtles. It has smooth vertical walls and the water level is about 8 inches below the top of the wall. The water in the fountain is about 2 feet deep, affording the turtle with no way to gain a foothold and to scale the walls. The hapless reptile has had no choice but to thread water for at least the past month. As air breathers, like us, turtles can and do drown.

Concerned neighbors have fed her, but attempts to rescue her by net failed as the turtle is very shy.

Members of the Gulf Coast Turtle and Tortoise Society (www.GCTTS.org; 281-443-3383) learned of this turtle's plight and determined that the only way to rescue her was to trap her. A floating trap was quickly assembled and baited with catfish parts and shrimp. After a little more than 24 hours in the pond, the turtle was in the trap when it was checked around sunset on Wednesday, August 24th.

The rescued turtle is in surprisingly good condition, a testament to turtles' strength and will to survive. After she is fed heavily for a few weeks, she will be released in a safe location where she will have access to both water and land.

Update - Three more turtles were trapped from the Westover entrance fountain. There were a total of three females and one male red eared sliders. After making sure that they were all of good weight and that they were eating, the four turtles were released into suitable habitat near Houston on September 20, 2005.

The Westover Park resident who first brought this situation to our attention has placed a secure ramp in a corner of the fountain. The ramp allows a turtle to easily exit the pond. Any more turtles that find their way to this fountain will have a means of escape thanks to this caring person.