To Know a Turtle

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Dear Friend, 
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To know a snapping turtle is to know the ancient Earth. The common snapping turtle evolved 66 million years ago and lived alongside the dinosaurs on the land which is now North America. Most humans have neither the inclination nor the opportunity to know a snapping turtle well. I have had the pleasure of knowing several who required long-term care. 

I’d like to share a story with you about a snapping turtle named Shelley. Shelley is a 30-pound, two-foot-long, common snapping turtle who has lived most of her life in a pond behind a home occupied by three generations of caring humans.

The family and their neighbors diligently watch their road to make sure no turtles are ever smushed by cars. The pond is a safe place for turtles to live. One day, though, Shelley came out of the pond walking with a limp due to a large growth on the bottom of her foot. The family knew to call a wildlife rehabilitation number and that is how I met Shelley. 

I am a volunteer wildlife rehabilitator licensed by my state to care for injured wildlife. I specialize in turtles. When the family reached out, I asked them to try to contain her for transport to me. Following my instructions, they went out with a big storage tub, but when they approached her, back into the pond went Shelley, including every other time they tried that summer.

The following summer, when the growth had doubled in size and was limiting Shelley’s mobility even more, they were finally able to get her into the tub. While they were on the phone with me reporting their success, Shelley knocked the tub over and escaped into the pond again. The following morning, I answered another phone call from the family. They had her! She must have realized they were trying to help, because they found her waiting outside their back door. She allowed them to lift her into the tote and firmly close the lid over her. Another wildlife volunteer drove her to me.

Shelley stayed in care for a year and was with me except for the month she spent at the Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Hospital at Cornell University (New York, USA), part of their veterinary medicine program. She had four surgeries on her foot to remove the growth and treat abscesses which were deep underneath. During her stay, she escaped her “hospital” tub so often that she earned her nickname Houdini. 

Thanks to Shamanic Reiki training, I can offer healing energy to all the animals in my care. I have channeled Reiki to a variety of animals, from chipmunks to frogs to pigeons. Turtles, however, are my favorite to work with, because they seem aware of the energy flow. Shelley was receptive, so I would rest my hands on her shell for a bit, then direct it towards her swollen foot, watching her for any sign she might snap. Sometimes a rumbling sound would emanate from her, which I could feel vibrating under my hands. You might be surprised to learn that the vibration is a snapping turtle’s song.

I believe Shamanic Reiki contributes, if not to their healing, at least to my patients’ well-being, by reducing the stress of being in captivity while they are being cared for. In Shelley’s case, convincing her to remain in captivity was the challenge!

Shelley’s human family has known her for much longer than I have, nearly three decades, and cared so deeply about her that they helped her get well. Last month, Shelley went home to her pond and is again being watched over.

There are many ways to cultivate a sacred relationship with the Earth. From Shelley’s family, I learned that one way is to know a turtle.

From my heart to yours. For the Earth.
Debbie Philp
OMEC HEARTH Circle guide