Turtle flown 250 miles for emergency medical treatment

SARNIA, Ontario, May 17 (UPI) -- A turtle that was hit by a car in Canada was airlifted nearly 250 miles for medical treatment, officials said.

The snapping turtle was hit by the car in Sarnia in southwestern Ontario last Saturday, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

The local Heaven's Wildlife Rescue was unable to provide the medical care the turtle needed so the animal rescue contacted Windsor pilot Rick Woodall, who volunteers with Pilots N Paws, a national animal rescue group.

"I just assumed it was a dog. When I found out it was a turtle, my daughter insisted the turtle needed to fly," Woodall told CBC News.

Woodall then took the turtle on a nearly 250-mile journey to the Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre in Peterborough.

"I didn't know it existed," he said of the facility. "And to be honest, I didn't know so many people were working so hard to save turtles."

Sue Carstairs, the medical and executive director at the turtle center, said the injured turtle suffered extensive facial injuries and "quite a bit of blood loss."

"He's had plenty of pain medication, that's for sure. Bit by bit, we're putting him back together. It was a little bit gory to see, but he's a lot more handsome now," she said. "He has a good prognosis, despite all his injuries."