Excellent Encounter

 When you know you have to do it, and you really don't want to do it, but you do it anyway, it must be the right thing.

It has been a long time since I have come across a North American Wood Turtle so I was thrilled when I came across this spectacular creature.

The Wood turtle is one of my all time favorite turtles. They are both beautiful and in my opinion extremely intelligent, and I wanted so much to keep her.
 Taking a healthy breeding age turtle from the wild is both criminally and morally wrong.

The following is from the Connecticut D.E.E.P.

Possession of any wood turtle is prohibited (Conn. Code Sec. 26-55-3-C) in Connecticut without regard to its origin, and collection within Connecticut is prohibited (Conn. Code Sec. 26-66-14-A). The wood turtle is a "Special Concern" species in Connecticut. International commerce in wood turtles posed such a threat that in 1992 this species was placed under international trade regulatory protection administered by CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna). The wood turtle is of conservation concern throughout most of its range. Most states and provinces where it occurs afford it special status and/or some form of statutory protection.

She needs to stay wild and help to carry on the species, and I will be grateful for the pictures I was able to capture and appreciate the encounter.