Eastern Box Turtle

 

 

Try to be like the turtle - at ease in your own shell. - Bill Copeland

 

This eastern box turtle seemed perfectly fine with me sitting there photographing it. Makes me wonder if this is one of the turtles I rescued last year.  Turtles may seem like they would make great pets but the truth is captivity is one of the reasons the these turtles are in decline.  It is estimated that there has been a 30% decline in population over the last three generations.  Every state has made it illegal to capture and sell these turtles for profit except for South Carolina.   It is widely believed that the average life of a turtle once it is captive is 3 years.  In the wild they typically live 25-30 years and have been known to reach ages of 50 years.