r/unexpectedoffice

Was driving along when I saw a turtle in the road not moving. When I went up to it I unfortunately found that it was missing the front right half of it's shell. Someone had clearly hit it and then left it to die in the road. I figured it was a goner, so I moved it to the grass and I was trying to figure out if it should be mercy killed when I decided I didn't know enough about turtle biology to make that call, took a picture and asked chat what to do.

Chat correctly identified that the wound was likely survivable and I just needed to get it to a wild life rehab center. So chat found one and gave me the phone number. Then gave me instructions on how to move it and what to do/not do. They said they could try to find a volunteer to come out and pick it up, I said I'll just do it myself since this was urgent. I was skeptical of chat's claims that the turtle could survive, but I figured even if they just euthanized it would be a better thing then leaving it to die slowly on the side of the road.

So I dropped the turtle off and they said honestly they had seen turtles survive worse and it had a pretty good chance. They'd patch up the shell, put it on antibiotics and painkiller and then rehab it. So you get that picture up there, the only time in my life I've ever seen a turtle high off their balls.

I was happy to help, but the truth was I had no idea what to do or who to talk to. I thought chat was just being optimistic in saying it was survivable and my call probably would have been a mercy kill, but I figured chat may know better and I might as well try. So yeah, I did the legwork, but honestly all the thinking was chat's. I knew I was over my head and just did what chat told me to do. It worked out, so hooray.

Edit: Yes chat also told me how to move it and what to do/not do, it's shell was entirely open. Like I said this thing looked doomed to me.

Edit 2: Update on the Turtle, wild life lady said as long as there are no hidden internal injuries it should be fine, but they'll probably have to hang onto it for a while cause shell repair like that takes awhile. So I'm bullish on the turtles survival odds now (especially since it didn't seem like it was in shock, it was absolutely moving it's head around). At least if it doesn't make it, it got to die high out of it's mind on the world's finest turtle morphine rather than being eaten alive by ants on hot pavement.

Edit 3: Turtle is still alive, recovering okay. Obviously getting hit by a car is never good, but she likely is going to be alright.

I and my wife laughed for 5 mins straight watching this!